Scott Mills: I have been the subject of rumour and speculation since BBC sacking

Scott Mills has said he has been the subject of “rumour and speculation” since the BBC announced his sacking earlier this week.

In his first public statement since the news broke, released through his lawyers, the former Radio 2 breakfast host said he “co-operated fully” with the police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence.

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.

“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 and responded to in 2018.

“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 seven 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.”

The BBC has confirmed it knew about the police investigation into Mills in 2017, but said it “acted decisively” after receiving “new information” in the weeks before his sacking.

The corporation said it terminated his contracts on Friday, just days after taking him off air, after new information it received in recent weeks. His sacking was announced on Monday.

The Metropolitan Police launched 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.

Mills was questioned under caution by officers in July 2018 and The Sun has reported that Mills denied the claims at the time and informed the BBC.

The newspaper said BBC bosses decided not to take the then-Radio 1 presenter off air at the time and the case was dropped in May 2019 because of lack of evidence.

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

The Met, 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”.

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 March 27.”

The BBC added: “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.”

The BBC said it “made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards”, and added that it set out “behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC” and was “clear action would be taken” if they were not met, last year, after an independent culture review.

The corporation has also apologised for not following up after a separate allegation of “inappropriate communications” by Mills was raised by a journalist last year.

It has also been announced that children’s cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK has decided to “part ways” with Mills, who had been a patron since 2021.

A statement from the charity 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.”