DJ Tim Westwood accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl
The woman, who is now in her forties, claimed the experience later led to her attempting to take her own life
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.DJ Tim Westwood has been accused of having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
A woman has claimed that she had sex several times with the former BBC Radio DJ, starting when she was 14 and he was in his thirties.
She is one of several people who have come forward after an investigation by BBC News and The Guardian was published in April, with claims of misconduct and abuse spanning from 1990 to 2020.
The Independent has contacted representatives of Westwood, 64, for comment.
Westwood previously denied the allegations of the seven women who featured in the original investigation. He also stepped down from his weekly Saturday night radio show on Capital Xtra “until further notice”, according to a statement from parent company Global at the time.
The woman who has made the new allegation, who is now in her forties and is speaking under the pseudonym Esther, claimed her experience with Westwood later led to her attempting to take her own life
Her testimony has been published as part of a new joint investigation by the BBC and The Guardian.
She has alleged that Westwood had sex with her on several occasions in the early 1990s. The age of consent in England and Wales was then – and still is – 16.
Esther has claimed that Westwood knew her age because he asked her how old she was when he allegedly met her at the Arch venue in Vauxhall.
Other women to come forward with new allegations include one who has claimed she was 16 when Westwood, who was in his forties at the time, started an allegedly “controlling” relationship with her.
Two other women have alleged that they were in their mid-teens when they were sexually assaulted by the DJ.
All the women who have made allegations against Westwood are Black.
Westwood worked on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra for nearly 20 years from 1994, when he joined to host the first national rap show in the UK.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
In 2013, he left the BBC to work at Capital Xtra where he presents a show on Saturday nights.
He was named Best UK Radio DJ at the Mobo (Music of Black Origin) Awards in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
The new allegations will feature in a BBC News documentary, Hip Hop’s Open Secret: Tim Westwood, which is available on the BBC iPlayer now and airs on BBC Three at 10pm.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.