DJ Tim Westwood has stepped down from his Capital Xtra radio show “until further notice” after several allegations of sexual misconduct, according to Sky News.
Three women have accused the former Radio 1 DJ of opportunistic and predatory sexual behaviour, while four others claim they were groped by him at events, according to a joint investigation by The Guardian and the BBC.
A Global spokesperson said: “Following the claims that have recently come to light, Tim Westwood has stepped down from his show until further notice.”
The women were in their late teens or early 20s when the alleged incidents happened. The earliest alleged incident reportedly took place in 1992; the most recent in 2017.
Mr Westwood “strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour” and “rejects all allegations of wrongdoing”, a statement from a representative for the 64-year-old said.
Westwood was also due to appear at a number of events over the next month, including at the Empire in Bedford on Friday.
A statement from his management shared on Instagram said: “In light of the allegations, this event has been cancelled.
“Tim Westwood denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
“Apologies for inconvenience this may cause to your bank holiday weekend.”
The DJ was an early champion of hip-hop in the UK and hosted the first nationally-broadcast rap show on UK radio from 1994.
After almost 20 years on Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra, he left the corporation in 2013 and has a Saturday night show on Capital XTRA, where he is referred to as “The Big Dawg”.
Westwood, who is the son of Bill Westwood, the former Anglican Bishop of Peterborough who died in 1999, was injured in a drive-by shooting in Kennington, South London, in July 1999, which left him in hospital.
Often cited as an inspiration for Sacha Baron Cohen’s fictional Ali G character, as well as his career in radio he presented the MTV UK car makeover show Pimp My Ride UK, which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2007.
The women accusing him have told their stories in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, which aired on Tuesday night.
The seven women are all black, and say they met Westwood through his work. They have remained anonymous and do not know each other, according to the BBC.
BBC director general Tim Davie has said the allegations made against the DJ are “shocking” and the claims made by the women are “powerful and appalling”, but he has seen “no evidence of complaints” from the DJ’s time at the corporation.
Image credit: Sky News
