Tim Westwood stepped down from his Capital Xtra radio show last week (Apr. 27), after multiple young Black women accused him of sexual misconduct.
According to a report from The Guardian, which detailed the DJ’s alleged misconduct in an investigation conducted with the BBC, the owner of Capital FM told its journalists to avoid reporting the allegations against Tim Westwood.
The outlet also reports Capital FM’s parent company Global has received questions from staff over whether they looked into anonymous accusations about Tim Westwood that were widely circulated in 2020. The DJ categorically denied the claims back then, stating he has never had “inappropriate relationships” with underage girls.
Global’s newsroom staff told The Guardian their managers directed them to avoid reference to the accusations about Tim Westwood. They also claim some radio show presenters were told not to mention the allegations on air.
Global confirmed they parted ways with Tim Westwood “until further notice,” in light of the allegations. However, the company was alerted to accusations about the DJ nearly two years ago. AllHipHop reported the anonymous claims made by several young Black women that circulated on social media in June 2020.
At the time, staff reportedly told The Guardian that they asked management to investigate the claims. Furthermore, several Capital FM presenters raised the issue on Twitter, though it is thought the company had not received any formal complaints against the veteran presenter.