Breaking his silence after his sacking from the BBC, Scott Mills has said he “fully cooperated” with police after being questioned over an allegation of a historic sexual offence.
Scott Mills says he “fully cooperated” with police after being questioned over an allegation of a historic sexual offence.
He made the statement while speaking publicly for the first time on Wednesday (01.04.26) since his dismissal from BBC.
Scott, 53, a long-serving broadcaster on Radio 1 and later Radio 2, was dismissed this week after the BBC said it had received “new information” relating to his “personal conduct”.
The allegation, understood to relate to a period between 1997 and 2000, was investigated by police and later dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Scott confirmed he was interviewed under caution in 2018 and that a file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which concluded the threshold for charges had not been met.
The investigation was closed in 2019.
The BBC has since acknowledged it was aware of the investigation from 2017 but allowed Scott to remain on air until this week, when his contract – reported to be worth £360,000 annually – was terminated within days of a complaint.
Scott said he had “fully cooperated” with police when he was questioned in 2018.
He added he had been subject to “rumour and speculation” since the BBC announced his dismissal.
Scott also confirmed evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, but the threshold to bring charges was not met.
And he added the allegation dated back nearly three decades and the police probe had been fully closed seven years ago.
Scott thanked his former colleagues and “beloved listeners” for messages of kindness in the days following his sacking and said he would not be making any further comment on the matter.
In a statement, the BBC 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.”
The broadcaster added: “We also recognise there’s been much speculation in the media and online since Monday.”
It also said: “What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him.”
The statement continued: “As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday 27 March.”
The BBC also confirmed it had been aware in 2017 of an ongoing police investigation that concluded in 2019 with no arrest or charge.
Jeremy Vine, speaking on Radio 2, compared the handling of Scott’s case with that of Huw Edwards.
The broadcaster said: “There is a thought here they decided to treat Scott how they wish they’d treated Huw. Which would be a bit unfair would it not?”
He added: “Regarding the inconsistency here, we were told Huw Edwards couldn’t be sacked because he was in a fragile mental state.”
Jeremy said: “Everything I have read about Scott’s history today goes back to his own anxiety and depression and everything else… .”
He added: “But there doesn’t seem to be the same break cut for him.”
The BBC said it is continuing work to understand what was known internally during the earlier investigation and has committed to improving its “culture, processes and standards”.
Scott Mills ‘fully cooperated’ with police after being questioned over an allegation of a historic sexual offence
