LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Renowned DJ Tim Westwood, 64 has been accused of sexual misconduct by seven women who claim he misused his position in the music industry and abused power between 1992 and 2017.
New allegations have come to light as of Wednesday (July 13), as Westwood is now facing allegations from a woman who says they began having sex when she was only 14 years old. The woman, named Esther (who is now in her 40’s), said he was in his 30’s at the time and describes him as a “predator”.
Esther, in speaking with the BBC said she was 14 when she first met the DJ and that the experience led to her attempting suicide. She tells the BBC she first met him at his club night at the Arch in Vauxhall in 1990. After becoming a regular at his club night, she says Westwood would always allow her and her friend in for free and would check on them throughout the night, which is how it all started. She also says Westwood asked her what her age was so he knew from the beginning.
Esther says:
“He didn’t look shocked or anything,” she says. When she asked him if she could continue coming, he said, “Sure you can.”
“I think we exchanged numbers and he just started, ‘Oh are you coming tonight, you know, so I can leave your name at the door.’ And then I’d say it was a couple of months after that he asked to meet up with me at Hammersmith Station.”
She says the DJ met her in west London and drove her to a flat. They sat and talked – and then he kissed her. “I was like, OK, I don’t have a problem with that. And then, it progressed from there. We had sex.”
This would not be the only time. The DJ, she says, would call her at home and they would arrange to meet. “I never gave consent to sex, but I never said no either so, I just went along with it,” she says.
The testimony of Esther and many other women are featured in a new BBC News documentary, Hip Hop’s Open Secret: Tim Westwood, which airs on BBC Three at 22:00, and raises new concerns about the 64-year-old’s behaviour over three decades.
Westwood worked for the BBC for 19 years.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW: Published April 27, 2022
LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Renowned DJ Tim Westwood, 64 has been accused of sexual misconduct by seven women who claim he misused his position in the music industry and abused power between 1992 and 2017.
Of the seven women, three have accused him of predatory and opportunistic sexual behavior, and the other four allege the DJ groped them at events. The women described their experiences to the BBC and the Guardian as part of a joint investigation into the DJ. Per their testimony, the earliest alleged incident occurred in 1992, the most recent in 2017.
The BBC said it was “shocked” in response to the allegations. The statement released reads: “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.”
According to a BBC report, this is not the first time Westwood has been called out for inappropriate behavior towards black women, with allegations previously posted on social media. Westwood released a statement on those allegations back in 2020, calling them “fabricated.”
BBC Three debuted a documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, released Tuesday (April 26) alongside interviews with the accusers – who chose to remain anonymous. USA TODAY reports they received an email statement from Westwood and that he “strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behavior.” “In a career that has spanned 40 years, there have never been any complaints made against him officially or unofficially,” the statement continues. “Tim Westwood strongly rejects all allegations of wrongdoing.”
According to the BBC documentary, some of the women say they felt unable to talk about their experiences before now. They feared their accounts would not be taken seriously due to their age and skin color. Three of the women were 17, 19, and 20 at the time of the alleged incidents.
Westwood has been one of the most well-known names in hip-hop in the UK for the past 40 years, according to the Guardian. He began hosting BBC Radio 1’s first rap show back in 1994 and was named best DJ at the Music of Black Origin (Mobo) awards numerous times. He left BBC Radio after 20 years and most recently hostss a show on Capital Xtra. Westwood also hosted the reality TV show Pimp My Ride UK from 2005 – to 2007.
