The BBC has confirmed it was aware of a police investigation into historical sexual abuse allegations against Scott Mills in 2017, but only terminated his contract last week after receiving new information. The corporation said it acted 'decisively in line with our culture and values' on Friday 27 March.
In his first public statement, Mills, 53, said an allegation was made against him in 2016 of a historic sexual offence, which he fully cooperated with during a police investigation in 2018. The Crown Prosecution Service determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges, and the investigation was closed in May 2019.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the alleged offences took place between 1997 and 2000, when Mills was in his 20s, and involved a boy under 16. Mills was interviewed under caution in 2018 but not charged. A full file of evidence was submitted to the CPS.
The BBC said it obtained new information in recent weeks and spoke directly with Mills, leading to his dismissal. The corporation added it is doing further work to understand what was known internally at the time of the original investigation.
Mills, who presented Radio 2's breakfast show with 6.5 million listeners, has not been on air since 24 March. He has also been dropped as a patron by Neuroblastoma UK, a charity funding childhood cancer research.
