The BBC sacked Scott Mills after discovering that the police investigation into a historical sexual offence allegation involved a person under 16, according to reports. The corporation confirmed it knew about the investigation in 2017 but said it acted decisively after receiving new information in recent weeks.
Current management only became aware that the accuser was under 16 shortly before terminating Mills' contracts on Friday, March 27. It remains unclear whether BBC managers at the time of the 2017 investigation, when Mills worked at Radio 1, knew the age of the alleged victim. The police investigation, launched in 2016, was closed in 2019 after prosecutors found insufficient evidence to charge.
In his first public statement, Mills said he fully cooperated with the investigation and has been subject to "rumour and speculation". He stated: "An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully co-operated... the Crown Prosecution Service determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges."
The Metropolitan Police investigated Mills, now 53, over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a teenage boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000. He was questioned under caution in July 2018. The Sun reported that Mills denied the claims and informed the BBC, but bosses decided not to take him off air at the time.
A BBC spokesperson said: "In recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively... and terminated his contracts on Friday March 27." The BBC added it is doing more work to understand what was known in 2017.
