The Metropolitan Police have told the BBC not to publish parts of a report on the sexual allegations against Tim Westwood, as it may ‘interfere with justice’.
The external review has looked at any action taken by the corporation in response to claims or concerns about the presenter’s alleged misconduct and analysed the adequacy of ‘any such response’. It is finally expected to be published within the next month.
In April 2022, several women came forward in a BBC and Guardian investigation, accusing Westwood of predatory behaviour, unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate touching from the 1990s until 2017.
The ex-presenter has strenuously denied the allegations, saying: ‘It’s all false allegations.’
The Met police have told the BBC not to publish parts of a report on sexual allegations against Tim Westwood , as it may ‘interfere with justice’
The corporation has been working with the Metropolitan Police to see that the report does not have an ‘negative impact on any ongoing police investigation’.
‘If for legal reasons there needs to be a more substantial delay before any publication, there will again be an update; either from Gemma White KC to participants or a statement from the BBC’, the corporation said in July.
The latest statement from a Met Police officer said: ‘We have seen the report and made recommendations to the BBC as to which sections of the report may interfere with justice if published.’
It is understood that the report is now due to be published within the next month.
A freedom of information request submitted by the BBC uncovered in June that the broadcaster has already spent more than £3million on the review.
It is more than double the £1.4million that the corporation is thought to have spent on the high-profile Dyson report into the behaviour of rogue reporter Martin Bashir.
Mr Westwood has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct in a series of incidents that took place between 1992 and 2017
The BBC hopes findings of the independent inquiry into Mr Westwood’s conduct at the corporation will be published by the autumn
Mr Westwood denied the allegations of misconduct, saying: ‘It’s all false allegations’
Three women, aged 17, 19 and 20 at the time they met Westwood, described a pattern of alleged ‘opportunist and predatory sexual behaviour’ after agreeing to meet with him
Two of them, who had aspirations of working within the music industry, claimed they agreed to meet Westwood in London to discuss music, before he ‘initiated unwanted and unexpected sex’ that left them feeling ‘completely powerless’ and ‘scared’.
A further four women said Westwood groped them while posing for a picture with him after his nightclub performances.
One woman was in her 20s when, she told the BBC, she met Westwood after reassuring her mother that it was work experience to help the DJ connect with a younger audience.
She claimed when Westwood picked her up in a large American-style vehicle he started touching her inappropriately before his ‘erratic driving’ was picked up on by a police officer.
Ex BBC and Capital DJ Tim Westwood has rebranded as a cooking influencer while living in Lagos
One of the recipes demonstrated by Westwood in his cooking videos was okra soup, a traditional dish in Nigeria
Later, in a London flat, she claimed the DJ sat next to her and tried kissing her before they had sex. She claims the work experience he offered never materialised.
The probe was launched in August 2022, led by Gemma White KC. It was expected to last for only six months.
MailOnline also revealed that the ex presenter had been living in Nigeria for the first half of this year and had briefly rebranded as a cooking influencer.
In videos posted on his TikTok account in April, Westwood showed his followers methods for cooking okra soup, a recipe which originates in Nigeria, as well as a chicken stew.
His career has gone quiet in the UK since the allegations surfaced in 2022.
