Tim Westwood scandal blows up as another 10 women come forward and accuse BBC DJ of sexual misconduct
It was revealed this afternoon that another 10 women have come forward and claim they are victims of sexual misconduct by DJ Tim Westwood, with one alleging he had sex with her when she was 14.
The teenager, who uses the pseudonym Esther, said Westwood, now 64, was in his 40s when they had sex for the first time, the BBC and Guardian, who have been investigating the ex-Radio 1 presenter, have reported.
Four of the women say they were under 18 when the alleged incidents happened, with six saying they were young adults.
The 10, all black, have come forward since an initial investigation by the two outlets in April.
Position of power
That investigation alleged Westwood abused his position in the music industry to take advantage of seven women in their late teens or early 20s.
The outlets claimed that, aside from two friends, the women who have now come forward are not known to each other and have never met.
None of the 10 reported the incidents to the police and all but one have asked to remain anonymous.
In a statement in April, Westwood “strongly” denied any wrongdoing.
The BBC, where Westwood worked as a presenter for 20 years, subsequently revealed it had received six complaints against him, including one referred to police.
Its director-general, Tim Davie, said earlier this week the corporation is undertaking a “full deep dive” and plans to deliver a report on the complaints within the next two weeks.
The internal audit will report to the BBC board’s senior independent director, Sir Nicholas Serota.
A statement from a representative of Westwood to the PA news agency in April said: “Tim Westwood strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
“In a career that has spanned 40 years, there have never been any complaints made against him officially or unofficially.
“Tim Westwood strongly rejects all allegations of wrongdoing.”
The DJ, who is the son of Bill Westwood, the former Anglican bishop of Peterborough who died in 1999, began his career on local radio before joining Capital Radio in London.
He was later given his own show by BBC Radio 1.
He left Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years and returned to Capital Xtra to host a regular show on Saturday nights, where he was referred to as “The Big Dawg”.
A representative for Westwood has been contacted for comment.
The BBC and Guardian said he did not respond to their requests for comment.