Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
Westwood, 64, is accused of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour as well as instances of unwanting touching in incidents that are said to have occurred between 1992 and 2017.
The allegations have been published in a joint investigation that was conducted by The Guardian and the BBC. Westwood has strenuously denied all the accusations. A spokesperson also told The Guardian that they were completely false.
Seven women, who are all Black, gave detailed accounts to The Guardian. They claimed to have met Westwood through his work. Some accused the DJ of abusing his power within the music industry in order to exploit women.
The alleged victims – whose names have been changed – also shared their accounts as part of a new 30-minute documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, which will air at 9pm BST tonight (April 26) on BBC Three. It is available to watch now via the BBC iPlayer.
Three out of the seven women have accused Westwood of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour when they agreed to meet him for what they believed to be a discussion regarding the music industry or their own work.
They were aged 17, 19 and 20 at the time of the alleged incidents.
An additional four women have claimed that the DJ groped them while they were attending one of his club night sets.
Per The Guardian‘s report, none of the women have reported the alleged assaults to the police. They are not known to each other and have never spoken, it is reported.
‘Isabel’, who was 19 when she met Westwood, told the publication that she attempted to pass on her music to the then-53-year old DJ when he was performing at a nightclub in her hometown in 2010.
She successfully did so, with Westwood calling her the next day to suggest a meeting in London. While in his car a few days later, ‘Isabel’ allegedly saw the DJ “exposing himself” ahead of a second episode of unwanted sexual behaviour in what she believed to be his flat.
‘Isabel’ claimed that Westwood initiated sex, but said she was “frozen” and did not vocalise her reservations.
Another alleged victim, ‘Tamara’, accused Westwood of performing oral sex on her without consent when she was 17; the DJ was in his mid-30s at the time.
“He could make or break your career,” she said. “If you wanted to get any kind of exposure, you would try to get your demo to him and pray that he would play it. He had absolute power.
“Within the recording industry and the black community, despite him being a white man, he had absolute power.”
‘Claire’, meanwhile, is among the four women to have recounted instances of groping to The Guardian. In 2009, the then-20-year old was at a club in Ayia Napa where Westwood was performing.
As her friend was taking a photograph of her and Westwood after his set, the DJ allegedly put his hand down the back of her shorts and proceeded to “[ask] if I was interested in going back to where he was staying to ‘chill’.” ‘Claire’ declined the offer, saying she was left feeling “very intimidated”.
Tim Westwood presented the first national rap show in the UK on BBC Radio 1. In 2013, he left the station after almost 20 years. Westwood moved to Capital XTRA where he still hosts a programme on Saturday nights.
Westwood has won the Best UK Radio DJ award at the MOBOs three times: in 2000, 2003 and 2005.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
