Jeremy Vine says Scott Mills’ sacking from BBC Radio 2 was ‘unfair’
Jeremy Vine has labelled the axing of his BBC colleague Scott Mills ‘unfair’ after the Radio 2 presenter was abruptly fired.
Yesterday news broke that the radio DJ had been sacked by the national broadcaster following allegations over his ‘personal conduct’, which allegedly relate to a ‘historic relationship dating back more than 10 years’.
A statement from the BBC said: ‘While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.’
Then, this morning, it was reported that Mills was let go after an alleged complaint was made against him about a historic police investigation into ‘serious sexual offences against a boy under 16’. The case was dropped around seven years ago due to a lack of evidence
However, around the same time, Vine shared his opinion on the saga and insisted ‘there’s been no crime’.
During his daily Radio 2 show in which he discusses the latest headlines, Vine expressed his disappointment at the handling of Mills’ exit.
The TV and radio presenter suggested the BBC had regrets over its failing to handle the behaviour of Huw Edwards and had gone harder on responding to Mills.
Vine questioned why Edwards ‘couldn’t be sacked because he was in a fragile mental state’ before adding: ‘Everything I have read about Scott’s history today goes back to his own anxiety and depression but there doesn’t seem to be the same break cut for him.’
The disgraced BBC News presenter Edwards was handed a six-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to three charges of making incident images of children two years ago.
‘Scott Mills sacking has left a lot of people very confused. What do you make of it? I’d love to know?’ Vine, who has worked alongside Mills at Radio 2 for four years, said when starting his show.
‘We heard the news just before 12 yesterday here at Radio 2, it came as a complete shock to those of us who work at the station, the presenter of our Breakfast Show, Scott Mills, had been sacked over allegations, we’re told, related to his personal conduct,’ he began.
Later in the show, he noted: ‘It’s a very painful episode for anyone who knows Scott, he’s a very popular guy in the building.’
During his show, Vine also spoke to the BBC’s media and culture editor Katie Razzell, who explained that she’d put ‘a series of questions’ to bosses about Mills’ sacking, specifically whether they’d been aware that he had allegedly been investigated by police.
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