Former BBC host and Capital XTRA DJ Tim Westwood has been charged with four counts of rape, according to a press release from London’s Metropolitan Police on Thursday (Oct. 9).
Westwood — who is well known in the U.K.’s hip-hop scene — was also charged with nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault. The alleged offenses — against seven women — date from 1983 to 2016.
“It takes courage to come forward and report allegations of this nature,” Det. Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement. “The women who have done so have put their trust in us and we continue to provide them with all available support.”
The 68-year-old is slated to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Nov. 10. According to law enforcement’s press release, Westwood is charged with indecently assaulting a 17-year-old in 1983 and another woman in her 20s in 1986; rape and indecent assault of two women who were 17 and 18 years old between 1995-1996 and 2000-2001; the rape of a 20something in 2010; sexual assault of a 20something also in 2010; and sexual assault of a women in her 20s in 2016. All of the alleged attacks took place in London, according to police.
“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,” Chief Crown Prosecutor Lionel Idan told the BBC. “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that criminal proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.”
Billboard has reached out to Tim Westwood for comment.
Westwood, an early champion and pioneer of the U.K.’s hip-hop scene, stepped down from his show on radio station Capital Xtra in 2022 following allegations of sexual misconduct.
BBC and The Guardian published a joint investigation in 2022 featuring accusations from seven different women who alleged that Westwood engaged in predatory behavior and initiated unwanted sexual advances. Westwood has denied all allegations against him.
If you or anyone you know is in need of support, reach out to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7.