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”.
In a statement on Wednesday, 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.
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“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.
“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.
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