British DJ Tim Westwood Steps Down From Radio Show Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Thania Garcia

Veteran British radio host Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show on Capital Xtra after being accused of sexual misconduct by seven women, according to the Guardian and other media reports.

Three women accused the DJ of opportunistic sexual behavior, while another four allege they were groped by him after his nightclub performances. All of the women were in their late teens or early 20s when they say the assaults happened.

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“Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice,” Global (parent company of Capital Xtra) said in a statement.

Lawyers acting for Westwood refuted the allegations, stating, “Any suggestion that he acts, or has acted, in the way described would be false and seriously defamatory.”

The Guardian and BBC have released a documentary titled “Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power” on BBC Three about the story. The 30-minute doc includes anonymous interviews with the seven women. The earliest alleged incident took place in 1992 and the most recent was in 2017.

The former BBC Radio 1 DJ has vehemently denied these allegations via his spokesperson who said the stories were “completely false” and denied in their entirety.

On April 26, the BBC responded to the allegations and said: “The BBC is against all forms of inappropriate behavior and we are shocked to hear of these allegations. The BBC has strict codes of conduct for all those engaged by the BBC, including on-air presenters.”

In June of 2020, anonymous allegations of inappropriate behavior by Westwood surfaced on social media. In a statement at the time, Westwood refuted the allegations, saying they were “fabricated” and without foundation.

Westwood, 64, is best known in the UK as the host of BBC Radio 1’s Rap Show in 1994. He’s been credited for giving fresh talent a platform and for having rappers from Public Enemy to Jay-Z on his show. He went on to become a host on Capital Xtra.

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