BBC Sacks Scott Mills After Learning Police Probe Involved Person Under 16

The BBC has dismissed veteran broadcaster Scott Mills after learning that a police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence involved a person who was under 16 at the time, according to reports. Mills was removed from air last week, with his termination officially announced on Monday.

BBC's Decisive Action Following New Information

The corporation confirmed it was aware of the police investigation into Mills back in 2017. However, BBC management stated it "acted decisively" after receiving "new information" in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. This crucial information revealed the complainant's age was under 16, a detail current executives only became aware of recently.

BBC News reported that the broadcaster terminated Mills' contracts on Friday, just days after taking him off air. It remains unclear whether BBC managers during the initial 2017 investigation, when Mills worked at youth-oriented Radio 1, knew about the age of the person involved.

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Police Investigation and Prosecution Decision

The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in 2016 into allegations of serious sexual offences involving a teenage boy under 16, with incidents said to have occurred between 1997 and 2000. Mills, now 53, was questioned under caution by officers in July 2018.

According to reports, Mills denied the claims at the time and informed the BBC about the investigation. The Sun newspaper stated that BBC bosses decided not to remove the then-Radio 1 presenter from air during the investigation period.

The police investigation was closed in 2019 after prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. Hampshire Police confirmed the sexual offences allegations were first reported by a third party in 2016, with details logged and passed to the Met for investigation.

Mills' Public Statement and Response

In his first public statement since news of his sacking broke, Mills addressed the situation directly. "The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation," he stated.

Mills confirmed the Metropolitan Police statement related to him, acknowledging an allegation was made against him in 2016 of a historic sexual offence. "I fully co-operated and responded to in 2018," he emphasized regarding the police investigation.

The broadcaster noted that the Crown Prosecution Service determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Given the investigation related to an allegation dating back nearly 30 years and was closed seven years ago, Mills expressed hope that "the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter."

He concluded by thanking "from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss."