Ex-Radio 1 presenter sentenced to 13 years in
prison for historical abuses against 11 boys,
some as young as eight
Former Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning.
Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning sexually assaulted dozens of young boys in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Photograph: Michael Stephens/PA
Press Association
The disgraced former Radio 1 DJ Chris Denning has been jailed for 13 years for child sex abuse and even “offered” one boy to another BBC presenter.
Denning, 75, used his fame to groom and sexually assault dozens of young victims in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He took some of the boys to London on several occasions and introduced them to other celebrities, including Gary Glitter.
Denning, one of Radio 1’s founding presenters, was sentenced to 13 years in prison at Southwark crown court in London for abusing 11 boys, some as young as eight.
Judge Alistair McCreath said the impact on the victims was “devastating”. He described the offences as “utterly depraved”, adding: “It is not to be forgotten that all of this suffering was inflicted by you for nothing other than your own selfish pleasure.”
Denning previously pleaded guilty to 21 sexual offences, including indecent assault and inciting boys to commit acts of gross indecency. He is already serving a 13-year jail sentence for a catalogue of sexual assaults against 24 victims, including one allegedly at Jimmy Savile’s house.
McCreath said the latest sentence would start from Friday. He told the defendant: “You groomed all of these boys. They were for the most part in their early teens, although some were younger. You used your own fame, your acquaintance with others who were famous, your familiarity with the music industry … to win their trust and misplaced admiration.”
Denning lured boys into his house and plied them with records, alcohol and cigarettes. He showed them pornography before forcing them to perform sex acts on him and photographed them naked. He also took one of the victims to the Walton Hop Disco, which ran from 1958 until 2001.
Jonathan Polnay, prosecuting, said: “Denning would take one of his victims out for pizza. He also took him on holiday, on tours of radio stations and let him stay at his bungalow.
“On one of those occasions, in the bungalow, another well-known Radio 1 DJ was present and Denning offered the victim to him. The other DJ replied he didn’t do that sort of thing.”
He promised another boy that he could use his connections to get him into the music industry and convinced him to pose naked for a photo shoot, the prosecutor said.
He offered one of his victims a job at a disco and repeatedly had the boy sleep at his house afterwards, where he would abuse him. Polnay said: “Denning took him to London, where he introduced him as ‘one of my friends’ to Gary Glitter.”
The defendant showed no emotion as two of his victims, now in their 50s, spoke of how the abuse continued to affect them.
David Burgess, defending, said Denning suffered from “various ailments” and could die before the end of his sentence. “His past has caught up with him, we are talking about events over 40 years ago. He is very sorry, he has expressed that before,” he said.
Denning did not react as the sentence was imposed.
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