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Ex-Radio One DJ Tim Westwood granted bail after court appearance on rape charges

Tim Westwood pictured in 2019
Tim Westwood pictured in 2019

Former BBC Radio One DJ Tim Westwood has been granted conditional bail after appearing in court charged with rape and sexual assault.

The 68-year-old is accused of offences against seven women, including three indecent assaults at the BBC studios in the 1990s.

Westwood is also alleged to have raped a woman at a London hotel in 1996 and sexually assaulted another woman at a music festival in the city around 20 years later.

He appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday wearing a dark grey shirt and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

The former BBC DJ, who returned to the UK from Nigeria last week, was not required to enter pleas to any of the charges.

The court heard he has attended five voluntary police interviews since the investigation into the alleged offences began.

Westwood is charged with four counts of rape, nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault.

He is accused of four indecent assaults in the 1980s in London as well as three indecent assaults at the BBC in the 1990s.

The defendant is also alleged to have raped a woman in a London hotel in 1996.

Westwood is further accused of two indecent assaults and one count of rape from the early 2000s at a London address, and two counts of rape at a London address in the 2010s.

He is also alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman at a nightclub in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 2010.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring granted Westwood bail on the condition that he does not contact prosecution witnesses.

He will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on 8 December.

The BBC Board previously apologised following a review which said the corporation "did not take adequate action" after learning of concerns regarding the hip hop DJ's alleged behaviour.

In response to historical sexual abuse allegations, Westwood has previously said he "strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour".

He stepped down from his show on Capital Xtra in April 2022 and left Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years at the BBC.

He also presented the MTV UK car makeover show Pimp My Ride UK, which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2007.

Westwood is the son of the former Anglican bishop of Peterborough, Bill Westwood, who died in the 1990s.

Source: Press Association

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