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DJ Tim Westwood is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by women who say he abused his position in the music industry to exploit them.

The 64-year-old is accused of predatory and unwanted sexual behaviour and touching, in incidents between 1992 and 2017.

The BBC and the Guardian have heard detailed accounts from seven women in a joint investigation into the former BBC Radio 1 DJ.

He strenuously denies the allegations.

The white DJ was an early champion of hip-hop in the UK and hosted the first nationally-broadcast rap show on UK radio from 1994.

The seven women who spoke to the BBC are all black, and say they met Westwood through his work. Some of them accuse the DJ of abusing his power within the music industry.

The women tell their stories in a BBC Three documentary, Tim Westwood: Abuse of Power, which airs on BBC Three at 21:00 on Tuesday.

Two of them, who were aspiring to work in the industry, say they agreed to come to London to meet him to discuss music. They accuse the DJ of driving them to a flat and initiating unwanted and unexpected sex. One was 19 at the time, while Westwood was 53.

Another woman told the BBC she met Westwood, then in his mid-30s, when she was 17 and a member of a R&B group. She says she was subjected to unwanted oral sex after agreeing to meet him.

Four further young women accuse the DJ of either touching their bottoms or breasts as they posed for photographs with him at different events where he was performing.

The women, whose names have been changed to protect their identities, do not know each other. Some work in the music industry and fear repercussions - with the DJ continuing to have a prominent role in an industry long-criticised for its treatment of darker-skinned black women.

Allegations about Westwood's behaviour toward young black women have circulated on social media for some time. In 2020, Westwood issued a statement to the Mail Online hitting out at the "fabricated allegations" and said they were false and without foundation.

more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61188603


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why are the BBC and Guardian investigating rather than the police?