Scott Mills' alleged sex abuse victim is said to have stayed in touch with him up to eight years after the offences were said to have occurred. A source told The Sun that Mills, who was sacked from BBC Radio 2 last week, was in contact with the teenage boy in 2006. The offences are claimed to have taken place between 1997 and 2000. The Metropolitan Police investigated the allegations in 2016, with The Sun reporting Mills was interviewed under caution in 2018, but the investigation was ended in 2019 for lack of evidence.

Mills was axed from the BBC on March 24 after new evidence came to light, with the BBC confirming that while it had known about the investigation, it had not been aware that the alleged victim had been under 16 at the time. A source told The Sun: "A lot of Scott’s friends knew about this lad. Scott stayed in touch with him, and I first heard about him in 2001.

"They used to see each other, and Scott was friendly with him like he was with a lot of people.

"I’m sure they were still in contact until around 2006. It suggests they were still on good terms so I’m not sure what prompted the investigation."

Mills issued a statement this week, saying: "The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation. In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.

"An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018. As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.

"Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.

"I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss."