Tim Westwood Appears in Court to Deny Two Additional Sexual Offence Charges

The former radio presenter Tim Westwood appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday to face further legal action regarding historical allegations. The 69-year-old, known to many through his long-standing career and various media appearances, formally denied two additional charges of sexual assault. These latest allegations relate to incidents reported in 1991 and 2004, extending the timeframe of the case against him.

During the hearing, Westwood pleaded not guilty to a charge of indecently assaulting a teenage girl, aged 16 or 17, in Hammersmith and Fulham, west London, in 1991. Additionally, he denied a charge of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in Wandsworth, south London, in May 2004. These new pleas mean that the former broadcaster now faces a total of 17 charges concerning nine different women, with the alleged offences spanning from 1983 to 2016.

Legal proceedings against Tim Westwood

Westwood, who resides in Fitzrovia in London’s West End, was originally charged in October of last year in connection with offences against seven women, all of which he denies. The extensive list of allegations includes four indecent assaults in London during the 1980s and three indecent assaults occurring at the BBC in the 1990s. Furthermore, he is accused of raping a woman at a hotel in 1996. The charges from the early 2000s involve two counts of indecent assault and one count of rape at a London address, while he also faces two counts of rape alleged to have occurred at a London address during the 2010s. Other allegations include a sexual assault at a nightclub in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 2010, and an incident at a London music festival in 2016.

Westwood, who spent nearly two decades at BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra before leaving in 2013, later worked for Capital Xtra, stepping down from his show there in April 2022. He has maintained his innocence regarding all counts and has been granted conditional bail. A trial covering all 17 charges is scheduled to take place at Southwark Crown Court in January.

Tim Westwood faces a trial in January after denying 17 sexual offence charges against nine women.

Why it matters

The ongoing legal proceedings against the former radio personality represent a significant development in a high-profile case involving allegations of historical sexual misconduct. The trial, set for early next year, will address a series of serious claims that have spanned several decades of the defendant's career in the entertainment industry.

This case highlights the continued focus on accountability for historical offences within the media sector. For observers and the public, the upcoming trial serves as the formal judicial process to determine the veracity of these numerous allegations.