Tim Westwood has been formally charged with 4 counts of rape and a number of sexual offenses within the United Kingdom, marking a serious authorized escalation tied to allegations spanning greater than three many years and involving seven girls.

The Crown Prosecution Service revealed Thursday that the 68-year-old former BBC Radio 1 DJ is going through 9 counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and 4 counts of rape. The alleged incidents occurred between 1983 and 2016. Westwood is scheduled to look at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 10, 2025.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Tim Westwood for a series of serious sexual offences,” mentioned Lionel Idan, Chief Crown Prosecutor. “Our prosecutors have established that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

The expenses observe a 2022 joint investigation by BBC News and The Guardian that introduced ahead accusations from seven Black girls, all of whom had been of their late teenagers or early twenties on the time of the alleged incidents. Some claimed Westwood used his affect within the music business to take advantage of them throughout conferences that had been positioned as skilled alternatives.

“Someone taking advantage of my naivety and lack of confidence isn’t something that I should have to carry with shame,” one lady informed investigators.

Three girls mentioned they had been misled into non-public encounters underneath the pretense of profession mentorship. Four others alleged that Westwood groped them whereas posing for images after membership occasions.

One accuser, known as “Isabel,” mentioned she was 19 when she met Westwood in 2010 to debate her music aspirations. She alleged he took her to his house, the place the assault occurred. Another lady, “Tamara,” mentioned she was 17 when Westwood allegedly assaulted her. “He could make or break your career,” she mentioned. “Within the recording industry and the black community, despite him being a white man, he had absolute power.”

The BBC responded to the 2022 exposé by launching an inside overview and later admitted it “fell short and failed people” in the way it dealt with prior complaints about Westwood.

Throughout the allegations, Westwood has denied all wrongdoing. His authorized crew known as the claims “completely false” and “seriously defamatory.”

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy acknowledged the bravery of the ladies who got here ahead. “It takes courage to come forward and report allegations of this nature,” he mentioned.

Westwood’s affect on British Hip-Hop is simple. He started his profession on pirate radio earlier than touchdown at BBC Radio 1 in 1994, the place he hosted the community’s first Rap Show. Known because the “Big Dawg,” he helped introduce UK audiences to artists like Jay-Z and Public Enemy and was a fixture within the membership scene for many years. He left the BBC in 2013 and later joined Capital Xtra.

His legacy, as soon as cemented as a pioneer of Hip-Hop broadcasting in Britain, now faces critical authorized scrutiny.

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