The former Radio 1 DJ and industry mogul Tim Westwood has been accused of sexual harassment and abuse by 7 women, who claim that he took advantage of his prominence in the music business to justify his predatory sexual behaviour. Representatives of Mr Westwood made a statement claiming; “Tim Westwood strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour. In a career that has spanned 40 years, there have never been any complaints made against him officially or unofficially “
Born in East Anglia as the son of the former Anglican Bishop of Peterborough, Westwood first made a name for himself in the late 80s as a budding radio DJ who championed Hip-Hop, Grime and R’N’B in the UK. With a myriad of shows and TV appearances, Westwood was seen by many as a controversial figure. However, his popularity which has grown considerably over his many years in broadcasting has made him a figurehead in the UK rap scene.
Yet currently as part of a joint investigation conducted by the BBC and The Guardian, 7 women (all of whom are black, and range in ages from their late teens to early 20s at the time of the alleged assaults) have stepped forward to speak out against Westwood publicly. Their stories will come to light in an upcoming BBC 3 documentary titled; Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power which will air at 21:00 tonight (26th April 2022).The victims’ identities remain anonymous at this time and bear no affiliation to one another. The Guardian’s breaking story stated that; “Three women have accused the DJ of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour, while four others allege they were groped by him at events.”
Tamara (alias), who was 17 at the time she first encountered Westwood (who at the time was in his mid-30s and lauded as a tastemaker in the music world) explained; “He could make or break your career, if you wanted to get any kind of exposure, you would try to get your demo to him and pray that he would play it. He had absolute power. Within the recording industry and the black community, despite him being a white man, he had absolute power.”
With the alleged actions taking place both publicly and domestically, such stories about Tim Westwood had previously surfaced online back in 2020. In the age of social media, the topic of sexual abuse and the search for justice for those affected has become widely discussed. The platforms give rise to victims acting together, in order to bring such issues to light.
Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power is available to stream now on BBC IPlayer and will be broadcast on terrestrial TV this evening at 21:00 BST.
If you or someone you know want to find help regarding sexual assault, follow the link here.
