Shamed BBC DJ Chris Denning offered a child for sex to a fellow Radio 1 star who told him: ‘I don’t do that sort of thing,’ a court has heard.
- Shamed DJ has admitted abusing 11 children between 1969 and 1986
- Court hears he offered a child to another presenter at his home
- He will be sentenced for 21 sex offences following Surrey Police probe
The prolific paedophile, 75, has admitted abusing 11 children, some as young as eight, between 1969 and 1986, and is due to be sentenced today.
The offences relate to an investigation by Surrey Police, named Operation Ravine, into alleged sexual offences connected to the Walton Hop Disco, which ran from 1958 until 2001.
Denning, one of the founding presenters on Radio 1, previously pleaded guilty to 21 sexual offences, including indecent assault of men and boys and inciting boys under 16 and 14 to commit acts of gross indecency.
Southwark Crown Court heard today that Denning ‘offered’ one of his victims to another BBC presenter who replied that he ‘didn’t do that sort of thing’.
The prolific paedophile, 75, used his fame to sexually abuse dozens of young boys 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.
Prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said: ‘He abused his fame, and the trust placed in him by others, for his own sexual gratification.’
He added: ‘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 One DJ was present and Denning offered the victim to him.
‘The other DJ replied he didn’t do that sort of thing.’
Denning lured boys into his house using his fame 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 several of his victims to the Walton Hop Disco, which ran from 1958 until 2001.
Denning 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 added.
Denning, from London, has a string of previous convictions for abusing young boys.
He is currently serving a 13-year jail sentence for a catalogue of sexual assaults against 24 victims, including one allegedly at Jimmy Savile’s house, from the 1960s to the 1980s.
A number of his victims came to court for his sentencing, with two of them reading moving statements.
The defendant sat in the dock wearing a grey and orange tracksuit and showed no emotion as the men, both in their 50s, spoke of how the abuse continues to affect them.
David Burgess, defending, said Denning suffers from ‘various ailments’, including Parkinson’s, heart problems, cancer and diabetes, has had five minor strokes and is now wheelchair-bound.