TIM WESTWOOD CHARGED WITH TWO MORE OFFENCES, NOW FACES 17 CHARGES

Tim Westwood, a former BBC Radio 1 DJ, has been charged with two further sexual offences after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. Officers said he is accused of indecently assaulting a girl aged 16 or 17 in Hammersmith and Fulham in 1991, and of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in Wandsworth in May 2004. The Crown Prosecution Service said it authorised the charges after concluding there was sufficient evidence and that prosecution was in the public interest. Westwood, due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on a date yet to be fixed, denies all the charges against him.

The new charges bring the total counts against Westwood to 17, involving nine women, the Metropolitan Police said. He already faced nine counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and four counts of rape, relating to reported non-recent offences between 1983 and 2016 involving seven women, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Catherine P Baccas, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said prosecutors had established sufficient evidence to bring the additional charges, which relate to separate reports involving two further women. She said criminal proceedings against Westwood remain active and that he retains the right to a fair trial.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police said the women who made reports had placed their trust in the force, which remained committed to supporting them. He said independent support was available through Rape Crisis via its 24-hour Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line. A trial relating to the original 15 charges against Westwood is scheduled to begin at Southwark Crown Court on 25 January 2027. The Crown Prosecution Service said the two new charges follow that prosecution.