The BBC has received six complaints against disgraced DJ Tim Westwood over alleged bullying and sexual misconduct, including a historical one that was referred to the police, revealed just months after Director General Tim Davie said he had “seen no evidence of complaints” against Westwood.
The BBC revealed in the past few minutes that the main case referred to the police was “historic” and “found in its files.”
“We are establishing the facts around it,” added a statement, which said the matter “did not relate to conduct at the BBC, BBC premises, or conduct towards a BBC staff member, nor was it an accusation of physical assault.”
Five other complaints were not referred to the police and the BBC declined to say when they were received, and whether this was after Davie’s April statement.
The BBC statement read: “As we have said, if people have things that they want to raise with the BBC, then they should do so. People have now done so and we will continue to investigate. We also said that we would dig into what happened in the past. We are doing that with great care. All of that work hasn’t concluded and is ongoing. We said we would take this seriously, and we are. When that work has concluded, we will say more.”
Speaking to the Voice of the Listener & Viewer Conference on April 27, in the same week that seven Black women came forward via a BBC/Guardian investigation to accuse Westwood of sexual misconduct, Davie said “we have looked at our records and seen no evidence of complaints” against Westwood, who spent many years DJing for BBC radio stations.
The complaints from the BBC/Guardian investigation were also featured in BBC documentary Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power.
Throughout, a spokesperson for Westwood has denied the allegations in their entirety and said no complaint has ever been made against him.
