DJ and former British hip-hop star Tim Westwood, 68, has been charged with rape and sexual assault committed against seven young women, some of them minors, between 1983 and 2016, police announced Thursday.
This former BBC radio presenter is suspected of four rapes, nine indecent assaults and two sexual assaults. The facts refer to seven women, one of whom was 17 years old and two of whom were “between 17 and 18 years old” at the time of the events, and the others were around twenty years old.
Most of the acts for which he is accused took place in London.
In 2022, several women accused him of sexual assault, which he strongly denied, and the BBC then admitted that it “could have done more” to investigate the allegations brought to its attention.
An open investigation
Tim Westwood is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on November 11.
“Our investigation remains open and we encourage anyone affected by this matter, or anyone with information, to come forward,” London police said in a statement.
Often cited as having inspired British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G character, Tim Westwood began his career at a local radio station before moving to London, where he worked for BBC Radio 1 until 2013. He became the voice of rap culture there in the 1990s.
The BBC has been criticized in recent years for its handling of several sexual assault cases.
Firstly, the Jimmy Savile affair, which broke out in 2012, a year after the death of this star presenter, author of rapes and numerous sexual assaults against minors for decades. But also the case of Huw Edwards, former star presenter, convicted in 2024 for possession of images of child pornography.
And in April, comedian and former host Russell Brand was also accused of rape dating back some twenty years. His trial is scheduled to take place in June 2026.
Source: BFM TV
