Paedophile Radio 1 DJ who was pals with Jimmy Savile dies aged 79 after ‘falling off his yacht into river’

A PAEDOPHILE ex-Radio 1 DJ and assemblage lecturer died aft falling into a river, The Sun tin reveal.

Michael Willis, 79, had changed his sanction to David Evans aft being freed from an 18-month jailhouse condemnation for having sick pics of kids.

Cops said helium went missing successful December aft helium was past seen taking a h2o taxi to a pontoon wherever his yacht was moored successful Dartmouth, Devon.

A root said: “The adjacent greeting his vessel was unlocked and his telephone was inside.

“His torch was recovered inactive lit connected the pontoon adjacent to the boat.

“Something happened and helium indispensable person gone into the water.”

Coastguard and RNLI searched the stream Dart but did not find him.

Then connected January 20 a assemblage was recovered fractional a mile down the stream by Dartmouth Castle and it was aboriginal identified by the coroner arsenic David Evans, 79.

There was nary notation of his erstwhile identity.

Willis, who utilized the signifier sanction Steve Merike successful the 1970s, was caught with 500 images connected his machine connected his yacht Appalachian Spring successful Plymouth.

He was jailed for 18 months successful 2020.

The erstwhile lecturer and Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner successful Loughborough is understood to person moved to adjacent Dartmouth and was surviving connected a tiny compartment cruiser yacht called High Cirrus.

At the opening of his inquest successful Exeter connected Wednesday it was heard helium was divorced and a retired assemblage lecturer.

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."

The Sun approached his ex-wife Julia astatine her location successful Loughborough for comment.

Her caller hubby responded to the quality Willis had died saying: “Good.”

He added Julia had nary interaction with him for “many, galore years”.

Willis had worked connected Radio Caroline earlier a abbreviated spell connected Radio 1 and was friends with infamous paedophile Jimmy Savile.

He was a presenter connected TV amusement Pop Quest and interviewed stars specified arsenic T-Rex's Marc Bolan.

He had besides worked astatine Radio Trent successful the 1980s, ran stations successful Australia and lectured connected radio and successful the media.

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 was antecedently fixed a suspended nine-month jailhouse word astatine Leicester Crown Court successful 2015 aft admitting 9 counts of downloading indecent images and movies of children betwixt 2006 and 2013.

He had initially claimed helium had been "intrigued by the Jimmy Savile affair" and wanted to walk connected his findings to a sociologist.

Savile was unmasked arsenic 1 of Britain's worst paedophiles pursuing his decease successful 2011.

The erstwhile Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It presenter carried retired a horrifying catalogue of abuse, attacking an estimated 1,000 victims - galore of them children.

After his archetypal conviction, helium moved from Loughborough to Plymouth, wherever helium lived connected his vessel Appalachian Spring astatine Plymouth Yacht Haven.

His yacht was raided successful August 2017.

The 74-year-old 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 Category C, connected a representation stick.

However the assemblage astatine Plymouth Crown Court rejected his claims and recovered him blameworthy by unanimous verdicts aft a two-day trial.