Former BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra presenter Tim Westwood has appeared in a London court to face a series of serious sexual offence charges dating back almost three decades.
Westwood, 68, is charged with 15 offences against seven alleged victims, including four counts of rape. The alleged offences are said to have taken place between the mid-1990s and the 2010s, during and after his time at the BBC.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Westwood spoke only to confirm his personal details. Prosecutors told the court the charges include nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. One of the alleged indecent assaults is said to have taken place inside BBC studios, where prosecutors claim he groped and forcibly kissed a woman around 1996. He is also accused of raping a woman at a London hotel in the same year, and later sexually assaulting a different woman at a music festival nearly 20 years later.
Westwood was granted conditional bail after the court heard he had cooperated with police, including attending multiple voluntary interviews. His lawyer, Orla Daly, also requested permission for him to travel abroad, and confirmed he returned to the UK from Nigeria last week.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ordered that Westwood must not contact any prosecution witnesses. He will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on 8 December.
The former hip-hop DJ left the BBC in 2013 after a 20-year run, and later hosted shows on Capital Xtra until stepping down in April 2022. Westwood has consistently denied the allegations since they first emerged publicly.
Source:Africa Publicity
