Westwood exits radio show after sexual misconduct claims

Tim Westwood has stepped down from his Capital Xtra radio show “until further notice” after sexual misconduct claims, the station’s parent company has said.

His exit follows allegations from seven women of predatory sexual behaviour and touching by the British hip-hop DJ.

“Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice,” a statement from Global said on Wednesday.

Westwood strenuously denies the claims.

On Tuesday, a joint investigation by the BBC and The Guardian featured the accounts of seven women relating to alleged incidents between 1992 and 2017.

Westwood, 64, presented a Saturday night slot on hip-hop station Capital Xtra for nine years. He previously hosted shows on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra from 1994 to 2013.

Two of his forthcoming DJ sets in Birmingham and Bognor Regis have also been cancelled in light of the allegations.

The women accused Westwood of predatory sexual behaviour and touching, claiming he abused his position in the music industry to exploit them.

Two said he had initiated unwanted and unexpected sex, one claimed she was subjected to unwanted oral sex, and four accused the DJ of touching their bottoms or breasts.

The women who spoke to the BBC are all black, and said they met Westwood through his work. They told their stories in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power.

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Earlier on Wednesday, BBC director general Tim Davie described the testimony of the women as “powerful and appalling”, and called for anyone else with evidence to come forward.

Mr Davie said he had found no evidence of complaints made to the corporation about the DJ while he was at the BBC.

Westwood hosted the influential rap show on Radio 1 and a drivetime show on sister station 1Xtra before moving to Capital Xtra in 2013 when it changed its name from Choice FM. He also fronted the UK version of hit MTV show Pimp my Ride in 2005.

He is known for giving a platform to new artists, as well as getting some of the biggest rappers in the world onto his programmes – from Eminem to Cardi B.

The self-styled “Big Dawg” also performed at nightclubs around the UK and internationally, and hosted freestyle sessions and interviews on his popular YouTube channel alongside his radio show.

A spokesman for Westwood said he strenuously denied in their entirety the serious allegations made against him.

He said he did not behave in the manner described and any suggestion that he acts, or has acted, in the way described would be false.

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