Mills says BBC sacking has led to rumour and speculation

Scott Mills has said he has faced a wave of “rumour and speculation” since the BBC announced his dismissal earlier this week.

In his first public remarks since the story emerged, the former Radio 2 breakfast presenter said he had “co-operated fully” with a Metropolitan Police investigation into allegations of an historic sexual offence.

In a statement issued by his lawyers, Mr Mills said: “The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation.

“In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.

“As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.

“Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates 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 wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.

“I wish to thank 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.”

BBC was aware of 2017 police investigation into Scott Mills

Earlier, the BBC said it had known about the police investigation into Mr Mills in 2017, but insisted it “acted decisively” after receiving “new information” in the weeks before his dismissal.

The corporation ended the presenter’s contracts on Friday, just days after removing him from the air.

The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation into the 53-year-old in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a teenage boy under 16 between 1997 and 2000.

Officers questioned him under caution in July 2018. The Sun reported that Mr Mills denied the allegations at the time and informed the BBC.

The newspaper said BBC executives chose not to take the then Radio 1 presenter off air, and that the case was dropped in May 2019 because of insufficient evidence.

Hampshire Police said the allegations of sexual offences were first reported by a third party in 2016, and that the force recorded the details before passing information to the Metropolitan Police to investigate.

A BBC spokesperson said: “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.

“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.”

Read more:Scott Mills dropped by BBC Radio 2 over ‘personal conduct’ allegationsPolice ended sex offence investigation into Scott Mills because of lack of evidence

The BBC also apologised for failing to follow up a separate allegation of “inappropriate communications” involving Mr Mills that was raised by a journalist last year.

It has also emerged that a children’s cancer charity has chosen to “part ways” with the DJ, who had served as a patron since 2021.

In a statement, Neuroblastoma UK said: “Following his dismissal from the BBC, Neuroblastoma UK have taken the decision to part ways with Scott Mills and he is no longer a patron of our charity”.