Scott Mills breaks his silence after BBC axing: Radio 2 star releases emotional statement thanking colleagues and listeners for their ‘kindness’ in wake of sex offence allegations
Scott Mills has made an emotional statement after being sacked from the BBC following new information about a sexual offenses police investigation into him in 2017.
Mills, 53, was investigated and cleared of allegations of ‘serious sexual offenses’ against a child under 16 between 1997 and 2000.
The BBC admitted it was aware of the investigation into Mills in 2017 and sacked him last week following new information.
The DJ and radio presenter broke his silence tonight by thanking colleagues and listeners for their ‘kindness’ after a 27-year career with the company.
He said: ‘I want to thank from the bottom of my heart everyone who has kindly reached out to me, my former colleagues and my beloved listeners who I miss so much.’
He added in his statement: ‘The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted with the BBC has led to the publication of rumors and speculation. In response, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement which I confirm relates to me.
‘In 2016, an allegation was made against me in relation to a historic sexual offense which was the subject of a police investigation; I fully cooperated and responded to this allegation in 2018.
‘As stated by the police, a dossier of evidence was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service which determined that the evidentiary threshold for laying charges was not met.
Scott Mills has issued a statement following his sacking from the BBC following new information about a sexual offenses police investigation into him in 2017.
‘Since the investigation concerns an allegation dating back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my request not to comment further on this matter to the public.’
Company executives felt they had ‘no choice’ but to sack Radio 2’s flagship morning show presenter following new allegations about his alleged behaviour.
It came as concerns were raised by friends that he was avoiding phone calls and ‘falling down’ following the BBC’s announcement on Monday.
Hampshire Police said allegations of sexual offenses were first reported by a third party in 2016 and police recorded the details and passed the information on to the Metropolitan Police for investigation.
The Met confirmed they questioned Mills about the accusations when they were notified that year, but the Crown Prosecution Service found there was insufficient evidence and closed the case in 2019.
The BBC refused to say why he was sacked other than ‘personal conduct’; but she faced questions about why she was kept on air despite knowing that she had been interviewed discreetly between 2018 and 2019.
The BBC is now said to have been given new information about the same victim but different from previous allegations.
The DJ and radio presenter broke his silence tonight and thanked his colleagues and listeners for their ‘kindness’ after his 27-year career with the company.
A BBC spokesman said in a new statement today: ‘Scott Mills had a long career at the BBC, was hugely popular, and we know this week’s news came as a shock and surprise to many people.
‘We are also aware that there has been a lot of speculation in the media and on the internet since Monday. We hope people understand that there are limits to what we can say because we need to be mindful of the rights of the people involved.
“All we can confirm is that we have received new information about Scott in recent weeks and have spoken to him directly. As a result, the BBC has acted decisively in line with our culture and values to terminate their contract on Friday 27 March.”
‘The BBC has made a significant commitment to improving its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set behavioral expectations for everyone working with or for the BBC and made clear action would be taken if these were not met.
We can also confirm that the BBC was made aware of the existence of an ongoing police investigation in 2017, which was subsequently closed in 2019 without any arrests or charges being made.
‘We are working further to understand the details of what is currently known to the BBC.’
