Is there anyone in authority out there who seriously cares about allegations of sexual abuse? Ears To The House finds itself asking this question at the end of yet another damning week for the music industry – a week where a female DJ revealed she has perverts trying to take pictures up her skirt, and a week where we reveal a male DJ who tried his luck in a very inappropriate manner.

And now we learn that allegations surrounding Tim Westwood go back even further than first thought – London’s Met Police have revealed Westwood is now being investigated by them over four alleged sexual offences. The first of those dates back all the way to 1982 – and whilst we obviously make no presumption of guilt or innocence, it raises the worrying possibility this has been happening for decades.

For what it’s worth, Westwood denied the first batch of allegations – he didn’t bother commenting on the second, nor does he seem to have anything to say this time around. But we have a question here – why exactly is the media investigation into Westwood being led by The Guardian and the BBC?

Now, we have no issue with The Guardian’s involvement here, and we also accept entirely this is clearly legitimate journalism asking legitimate questions – something Ears To The House will always defend with vigour. But isn’t there something of a conflict of interest in one part of the massive BBC machine investigating another?

After all, Westwood worked for the BBC for almost two decades. Yet director general Tim Davie initially claimed they had “no evidence of complaints” against him. On what basis did he say that – and are BBC journalists who rely on him for work really going to ask this question to their own boss?

Now Sir Nicholas Serota, who is leading an independent investigation into the allegations, claims “New allegations and issues are emerging as time passes and more people are prepared to come forward”. This just makes the BBC’s initial reluctance to be upfront with what it knew look odd.

It’s now even more odd they’re narrating part of a story where they are a central character…

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