BBC knew about police investigation into Scott Mills in 2017

The BBC knew about a police probe into DJ Scott Mills in 2017 but sacked him after receiving "new information" in the weeks before he was dismissed.

The corporation said in a statement it "acted decisively" at the weekend to terminate Mills' contract after initially saying he was dismissed due to claims over his "personal conduct".

It emerged that the BBC was asked about the allegations by a freelance journalist last year, but did not respond.

The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday that officers investigated "allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy" who was under 16, said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately decided "the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges" and the case was closed in May 2019.

In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC confirmed it knew about the claims nine years earlier and dismissed Mills when new information came to light.

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 contract 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.

"Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made. We are doing more work to understand the detail of what was known by the BBC at this time."

Mills, who has not yet commented on his sacking, was taken off air by the BBC last Tuesday.

Met Police launched an investigation into Mills, 53, in 2016 and was questioned under caution by officers in July 2018, and it is reported by The Sun that Mills denied the claims at the time and informed the BBC.

BBC bosses decided not to take him off the air, the newspaper added. The case was later dropped in May 2019 due to a lack of evidence.

Read more:
BBC apologises for response after Scott Mills allegations
Scott Mills allegations: What we know so far

Hampshire Police said the sexual offence allegations were first reported by a third party, in 2016, and that it logged the details and passed them on to the Met Police for investigation.

Met Police, which does not identify people under investigation pre-charge, said it closed its investigation in May, 2019, after advice from the Crown Prosecution Service that "the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges".

(c) Sky News 2026: BBC knew about police investigation into Scott Mills in 2017