Further news in the unfurling case against Tim Westwood has come to light alleging that the BBC were complicit in allowing his bullying and abuses of power to continue during his time at the organisation.
A few months ago, several reports of sexual assault were made against hip hop DJ Tim Westwood by various women prompting the former BBC employee to step down from his role at Capital Xtra.
The BBC were reportedly unaware of the claims when the story first broke. Now, however, a former employee has reported that they had previously made an accusation of bullying against Westwood, but management tried to silence their claim.
An employee who worked with the BBC in the 2010s stated that they complained about “unacceptable bullying” only to be told, “be quiet, don’t say any more, be careful what you say.”
In the report, the employee described how a “boys club” culture was allowed to go on unchecked during Westwood’s time at the BBC. As one employee explained: “There was a culture of ‘don’t piss off the talent’, and everyone else was fair game.”
Westwood has denied the allegations. “Our client confirms that there has never been any complaint made against him, whether officially or unofficially, relating to claims of inappropriate behaviour of the nature described,” a spokesperson for the DJ reported.
A BBC spokesperson has since commented on the issue, saying: “We are taking this incredibly seriously and want to understand what happened with regard to the BBC.”
Continuing: “At the beginning of the month we confirmed we had received a number of complaints relating to allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. As we have set out, we are fully committed to investigating them and when that work has concluded we will publish findings.”
Thus, with that investigation ongoing, further news from the BBC is expected in the coming weeks.
