One woman said she now feels ‘dirty’
DJ Tim Westwood has been accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl amid further allegations of sexual misconduct between 1990 and 2020.
The currently unnamed woman is one of several who came forward after a joint investigation by BBC News and The Guardian.
Sharing her story under the pseudonym Esther, the woman, now in her forties, claimed that Westwood knew how old she was. She later attempted to take her own life.
Three other women have said that they were in their mid-teens when they were sexually assaulted, with one describing the DJ as “controlling.”
A total of 10 Black women came forward, and their stories have been told in the BBC News documentary, Hip Hop’s Open Secret: Tim Westwood. The doc is now available on BBC iPlayer and will air on BBC Three at 22:00 tonight (July 13).
BBC Director General Tim Davie said the claims would be investigated and the findings published within two weeks.
“We have an internal audit separate to myself working to the senior independent director, Nick Serota, going through now, responding to anything that is coming into us,” he said. “We have no objective apart from to ensure everything is flushed out and we understand exactly what happened with regards to the BBC and also to do the right thing and [ensure] any cases are looked at.”
Westwood’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
Related Links:
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- Imran Ahmad Khan: Former Tory MP jailed for 18 months for sexual assault
- R. Kelly is on suicide watch after being sentenced to 30 years in prison
- Tim Westwood: BBC admits it received six misconduct complaints against DJ – having earlier said it got none
