Paedophile Radio 1 DJ and Jimmy Savile's pal dies after falling into a river

Paedophile erstwhile BBC Radio 1 DJ Michael Willis has died

A Paedophile erstwhile BBC Radio 1 DJ has died aged 79 aft falling into a river.

Michael Willis, who had besides worked arsenic a assemblage lecturer, had changed his sanction to David Evans aft being freed from jailhouse pursuing an 18-month sentence. Police said helium went missing successful December and was past seen taking a h2o taxi to a pontoon wherever his yacht was moored successful Dartmouth, Devon.

In 2020, Willis was jailed for possessing indecent images of children aft constabulary raided his backstage yacht. He was caught with astir 500 vile pictures connected his machine equipment. Willis, who went nether the signifier sanction Steve Merike erstwhile helium was a disc jockey, was a BBC Radio One DJ successful the 1970s. He was besides a DJ connected the celebrated pirate presumption Radio Caroline and worked astatine Radio Trent successful the 1980s, wherever a workfellow was precocious tv presenter Dale Winton.

Coastguards and the RNLI searched the River Dart but did not find Willis erstwhile helium went missing. However, connected January 20 a assemblage was recovered fractional a mile down the river. It was aboriginal identified by the coroner arsenic David Evans, 79, with nary notation of his erstwhile identity, according to the Sun.

Devon country coroner Alison Longhorn said: "The circumstances are David resided connected the vessel which was moored connected the River Dart. He was reported missing to the constabulary arsenic helium had not been seen for respective days. A assemblage was located further down the stream respective weeks aboriginal and it has not been confirmed arsenic that of David Evans. There are nary suspicious circumstances. The aesculapian origin of decease is unascertained."

His ex-wife Julia was approached by the work for remark and her caller hubby responded to the quality Willis had died by saying: “Good.” Willis was handed a suspended condemnation astatine Leicester Crown Court successful 2015. He moved to Plymouth, wherever helium lived connected his vessel Appalachian Spring astatine Plymouth Yacht Haven. Willis denied possession of 238 Category A indecent images of children connected his computers – showing them being sexually abused by adults.

He besides denied having 226 Category B images. Willis pleaded blameworthy to having conscionable 10 pictures successful the slightest terrible class, Category C, connected a representation stick. Police raided his yacht backmost successful August 2017. He took the witnesser basal to state that helium recovered immoderate of the much terrible images “absolutely disgusting”.

But the assemblage heard that helium was besides caught with Category A images erstwhile helium was arrested successful Loughborough backmost successful 2013. Willis admitted that helium utilized file-sharing bundle and utilized emblematic hunt times to find indecent images. But helium claimed helium had nary thought however the much terrible pictures appeared connected his laptop, desktop and the representation stick.

A assemblage rapidly dismissed his communicative and recovered him blameworthy by unanimous verdicts aft a two-day trial. Willis pleaded blameworthy astatine successful Leicester successful 2015 to 9 counts of downloading indecent images and movies of children betwixt 2006 and 2013. He had told constabulary successful interrogation that helium had been “intrigued by the Jimmy Savile affair” and wanted to walk connected his findings to a sociologist.

He was successful possession of the images portion lasting arsenic a Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner for Loughborough astatine the 2010 General Election, wherever helium polled astir 10,000 votes but mislaid to aboriginal Tory acquisition caput Nicky Morgan. Willis besides lectured for 15 years astatine New College Nottingham and Nottingham Trent arsenic good arsenic being the politician astatine a fig of schools successful the Midlands. He besides stood unsuccessfully for assorted councils successful Leicestershire.

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