Former BBC DJ granted bail after appearing in court on rape charges

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood was granted conditional bail Monday after appearing in court on multiple rape and sexual assault charges.

The 68-year-old is accused of 15 offenses, including four counts of rape, nine counts of indecent assault, and two counts of sexual assault. Some charges relate to alleged incidents at BBC studios in the 1990s.

During his court appearance, Westwood spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address, Sky News reported.

Westwood, the son of an Anglican bishop, was described by The Guardian in 2022 as “one of the best-known names in British music, a veteran of the hip-hop scene whose opinions have been able to make or break upcoming artists for more than 30 years.”

He also hosted the MTV show Pimp My Ride UK from 2005 to 2007.

The court heard that Westwood, who has previously denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, attended five police interviews voluntarily since the investigation began.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring granted bail on the condition that Westwood does not contact prosecution witnesses and ordered him to return to court on Dec. 8.

The charges include an allegation of rape against a woman at a London hotel in 1996, one count of rape from the early 2000s and two counts of rape at an address in London in the 2010s.

The Metropolitan Police launched the investigation in August 2022 after multiple women accused Westwood of sexual offenses.

The allegations first surfaced in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, released in April 2022 following a joint investigation by BBC News and The Guardian.