BBC has confirmed that Tim Westwood, former Radio 1 DJ, had previously complained to police.
This is the sixth complaint that Westwood has received, according to the corporation.
After allegations by BBC News and Guardian of predatory sexual behavior by the DJ, Tim Davie, Director General, stated that there was no evidence to support his claim.
Westwood refutes the allegations.
A BBC spokesperson stated that it was a historic case and had been referred by police. We are gathering the facts.
“It didn’t relate to conduct at BBC, BBC premises, conduct towards BBC staff members, nor an accusation or physical assault.”
The BBC refused to confirm whether the five other complaints were received prior or after Mr Davie’s April statement.
A spokesman for the DJ stated that he had been “spoken” to following one of the complaints.
The corporation also stated that it did not know what additional action had been taken regarding the complaints.
BBC News exposed the complaints after challenging the response of the corporation to a Freedom of Information request (FOI) made in November 2021.
This request was made as part of a joint investigation by the Guardian that featured seven accounts of black women who claimed unwelcome sexual touching and sexual misconduct in the period 1992 to 2017.
They were featured on a BBC Three documentary called Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power.
They were afraid of the repercussions from working in the music industry. The DJ played a prominent part in an industry that was long criticised for its treatment black women with darker skin.
Social media has been abuzz with allegations about Westwood’s behavior towards young black women.
Between 1994 and 2013, Westwood (64) was a radio presenter on BBC Radio 1Xtra and Radio 1Xtra, where he hosted the UK’s first national broadcast hip-hop show.
A spokesperson for the DJ stated that he had denied all allegations.
They stated that “Our client has not been subject to any formal or informal complaint regarding claims of inappropriate behavior of the nature described.”
“No police complaint has been filed against him, and no one has ever raised these or other similar matters with him or his representatives.”
“There have been no investigations in relation to him whatsoever, either by the police or his employer, or any other authority.”
BBC News tried to reach him several times to get his comment on the complaints. He has not responded.
According to the BBC, the six complaints were related to Westwood’s years of service with the corporation and others that had nothing to do with the broadcaster.
The BBC News challenged the corporation to respond to its statement: “We are aware of one of these complaints being referred to police. Westwood was also spoken to regarding another complaint.
“We don’t know what additional action was taken at that stage.” We are now investigating what further action was taken at that time.
After the April BBC News and Guardian joint investigation, Mr Davie stated that he had “reviewed our records and found no evidence” to support complaints against the DJ.
“If anything like this is raised, or something comes up, it will be investigated fully. “And I would hope that we were doing that during that time,” Mr Davie stated, referring specifically to Westwood’s time with the BBC.
“I would just say that if anyone has evidence of something not being followed up or has concerns in this area, they should bring it to our attention. It is something we want to investigate.”
BBC reported that Mr Davie stated the position in the way he understood it at the moment.
Davie was the director of audio-music at the corporation and ultimately oversaw BBC Radio 1 between 2008 and 2012.
The FOI request was submitted in November 2021. The corporation initially replied to the request by saying it couldn’t “confirm nor deny” whether the BBC had the requested information.
The company stated that it was shocked to learn of the allegations but didn’t have any information that would help with this investigation when the story was published.
The BBC’s latest statement stated that: “As our previous statements have indicated, if people feel they have something to share with us, they should.” We are continuing to investigate the matter and people have already done it.
“We also stated that we would investigate the past. That is what we are doing with great care. This work is still ongoing. This was something we said, and we do.
BBC News made the latest disclosures after appealing to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This office regulates Freedom of Information Act requests within the UK.
According to the BBC, the BBC had not disclosed the information regarding the six complaints within the Freedom of Information Act’s scope.
Tim Westwood: Abuse Of Power – BBC iPlayer (UK only).
