Sky News presenter Jayne Secker interrupted a broadcast to issue a huge update about sacked BBC radio DJ Scott Mills. Reporter Mollie Malone was broadcasting from outside the BBC in London, sharing the details of the story when it cut to a breaking bulletin. A picture of Mills appeared on screen with the breaking news banner beneath it as she announced: “Just a bit of an update to that story.
“There has been a statement now from Neuroblastoma UK, which is a charity which says, following his dismissal from the BBC, Neuroblastoma UK has taken the decision to part ways with Scott Mills, and he is no longer a patron of our charity. We have communicated this decision to Scott and his team, and would like to thank him for his support. To date, we remain unwavering in our mission to fund research to find better treatment and a cure for Neuroblastoma. So that from Neuroblastoma UK, who are stepping aside from their partnership with him.”
Prior to Secker’s update, her colleague Malone had provided the most up-to-date information about his dismissal. Speaking from outside the BBC‘s London offices, she said: “We’re now starting to understand a little bit more about what might have led to that BBC sacking yesterday of Scott Mills, one of their most high-profile presenters and biggest names.
“We now know that he was questioned by police back in 2018 over allegations that were reported to have happened between 1997 and 2000, and those allegations, according to the Met Police, were of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy who they now say was under the age of 16.
“But we understand that the CPS, the Crown Prosecution Service, didn’t believe that there was sufficient evidence to bring charges, and hence the case was dropped in 2019,” she said.
She continued: “I’ll talk you through kind of the timeline that we’ve got, as is from the Met Police – they say in a statement, in December 2016 the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force. The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy.
“These were reported to have taken place between 1997 and 2000 as part of these inquiries. A man in his 40s at the time of the interview was questioned by police under caution in 2018. A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.
“Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019, and hence, it is important to make clear that these remain allegations. This was news that came fairly suddenly. At a surface level, it appeared fairly abrupt how the BBC handled Scott Mills’s sacking. It’s not clear why this is coming now, given the historic nature of that timeline and those allegations.
“…This is a significant moment for the BBC…Mills is a prominent name, a prominent presenter, both on TV and also on radio…a successful career, going back decades, on Radio One, on Radio Five Live and then most recently, on Radio Two, hosting their flagship breakfast programme… It was last Tuesday that he signed off, saying, “See you tomorrow,” and the next day we saw another presenter, DJ Gary Davies, taking over, saying he was standing in for Scott Mills… so it appeared to be abrupt from the BBC…It’s not clear what motivated their decision to sack him 1774978280.”
