Ex-BBC DJ Tim Westwood charged with multiple rape and assault offences

NPC Reporter
National Press Corporation(NPC)
Britain-Former BBC Radio 1 and Capital Xtra DJ Tim Westwood has been charged with four counts of rape, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.

The 68-year-old is also facing nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault involving seven women, with alleged offences spanning more than three decades — from 1983 to 2016.

Westwood is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 10 November.

According to police, the oldest charge concerns the alleged indecent assault of a 17-year-old girl in London’s Fulham area in 1983. Other charges include the rape of a 17–18-year-old female between 1995 and 1996, and another alleged rape in 2000–2001, as well as the rape of a woman in her 20s in 2010. The most recent allegation relates to a sexual assault in Finchley.

Lionel Idan, Chief Crown Prosecutor, said prosecutors had determined there was “sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial” and emphasised the defendant’s right to a fair trial.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy urged potential witnesses to come forward, saying “It takes courage to report allegations of this nature.”

Westwood, a pioneering figure in the UK hip-hop scene, hosted the country’s first nationally broadcast rap show on BBC Radio 1 in 1994.

In 2022, BBC News reported accusations from 18 women alleging predatory and unwanted sexual behaviour by Westwood between 1992 and 2017 — claims he has repeatedly denied.