The BBC has admitted that it was aware of a police investigation into allegations that Scott Mills engaged in sexual offences involving a teenage boy.
One of the BBC’s top radio presenters, Mills was dismissed on Tuesday, seemingly out of the blue. It soon emerged he had been questioned by police in 2018 in relation to the allegation.
Now the BBC has said that despite being aware of the investigation, it hired him last year to takeover from Zoe Ball on its flagship program “The Breakfast Show.”
“Scott Mills had a long career across the BBC, he was hugely popular and we know the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many,” a spokesperson for the BBC said in a statement on Wednesday. “We also recognise there’s been much speculation in the media and online since Monday. We hope people understand that there is a limit to what we can say because we have to be mindful of the rights of those involved.”
“What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.”
“The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear action would be taken if these were not met. Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made. We are doing more work to understand the detail of what was known by the BBC at this time.”
The broadcasting corporation, which celebrated its centenary in 2022, has been under increasing scrutiny after a string of its top talent have been investigated by police for sexual offences and, in some cases, charged. They include top news anchor Huw Edwards, who was convicted of possessing indecent images of children, TV and radio host Russell Brand, who is set to stand trial later this year for rape and sexual assault (which he denies), TV presenter Rolf Harris, who died in 2023 after serving prison time for sexual assault, and DJ Tim Westwood, who was accused of multiple counts of sexual misconduct, which he denies.
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The most infamous sexual offender at the BBC remains TV presenter and radio DJ Jimmy Savile, whose decades of prolific sexual abuse came to light only after his death in 2011.
From Variety US