Tim Westwood arrives at court for rape and sexual assault charges against 7 women

Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood arrived today at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where he is charged with a string of sexual offences, including rape.

The Pimp My Ride presenter arrived at court to face the charges wearing a puffer jacket, as he was flanked by police offers.

Westwood, 68, who dominated the UK hip hop scene for 40 years and presented BBC Radio 1’s Rap Show for almost two decades, is charged with four counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and nine counts of indecent assault against seven women between 1983 and 2016.

The DJ is charged with indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl in Fulham, London, in 1983 and indecently assaulting a woman in her 20s in Vauxhall in 1986.

Between 1995 and 1996, he is charged with raping and indecently assaulting a woman who was between the ages of 17 and 18 at the time.

Westwood is alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted a woman aged 17 to 18 between 2000 and 2001 and raped a woman in her 20s in 2010 – with the alleged offences also reported to have taken place in London.

He is further accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 2010 and sexually assaulting another woman in her 20s in the Finchley area of London in 2016.

In 2022, a joint investigation by The Guardian and BBC brought to light a number of accusations of sexual misconduct against Westwood, all of which he strenuously denied.

Six women spoke out about their experiences in the BBC Three documentary, Abuse of Power.

The BBC Board previously apologised following a review which said the corporation ‘did not take adequate action’ after learning of concerns regarding the hip hop DJ’s alleged behaviour.

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