June 2017 BBC radio husband and wife presenters jailed for assaulting under-age boys Two former BBC radio presenters have been handed five-year jail sentences for indecently assaulting under-age boys and outraging public decency by having sex in woodland. Husband-and-wife Tony and Julie Wadsworth were found guilty by a majority verdict of encouraging a string of boys, including a teenager looking for a golf ball, to take part in sexual activity in Warwickshire between 1992 and 1996. Julie Wadsworth, 60, and her 69-year-old husband told Warwick Crown Court they engaged in or watched sex acts in an area of parkland but claimed “young men” were involved. Mrs Wadsworth was convicted by majority 10-2 verdicts of nine indecent assaults and five counts of outraging decency after a three-week trial. Her husband, who acted as a “look-out” during sexual activity involving his wife and a total of six youngsters, was found guilty of the same charges, also by majority verdicts. As the verdicts were returned, Mrs Wadsworth – who was cleared of indecently assaulting one of the victims at her home – repeatedly gulped, swayed in the dock and wiped away tears with a black tissue. Tony Wadsworth showed little emotion and handed a mobile phone to a solicitor before the couple were remanded in custody for sentencing. At the start of the trial, prosecutor Miranda Moore QC said the Wadsworths – known to the public as Wadsworth and Mayer (Julie’s on-air surname) – had worked at the BBC’s former studios at Pebble Mill, Birmingham. Some of the couple’s victims told the court Mrs Wadsworth was variously dressed in a “flasher’s mac” trench coat, white high-heels, stockings, suspenders, and a split-skirt at the time of the offences near Atherstone. Outlining the prosecution case at the start of the trial, Miss Moore said an 11-year-old boy was among those who witnessed the couple’s offences. Miss Moore told the court: “Not only did they have sex in the open but they did it in the open knowing and taking delight in the fact that young lads were watching, and they encouraged the young lads to view the sexual encounters. “The boys at the time were all too young by law to be participants in any sort of sexual activity. “Julie would encourage one of the boys at a time to engage in sexual activity. Julie was doing the activity but Tony was there. “He was there to watch in line of sight usually … to act as a look-out or ‘minder’ for Julie.” Mr Wadsworth – an award-winning DJ who presented shows with his wife on BBC Radio Leicester and Birmingham-based BBC WM – was found guilty of indecent assault because of his role as an “early warning system” for his partner. On one occasion, the court heard, an alleged victim was “spooked” by Mr Wadsworth standing nearby with a camera around his neck. During the trial, it emerged that two groups of victims contacted police after a complainant realised two years ago that what had taken place in the 1990s “was not right and not appropriate”. The victim, who cannot be named, told jurors he met the Wadsworths in parkland and only discovered their names after recognising their voices on a radio show. In videos of police interviews played to a jury, the man claimed he had up to 15 sexual encounters as a teenager with Mrs Wadsworth – around half of them before he turned 16. On one occasion, the court heard, Tony Wadsworth joined in a “threesome” with the teenager at the couple’s home after he turned 16. One of the complainants told the trial Mrs Wadsworth “must have known” her victims were under-age because of their appearance. The sixth witness at the trial estimated that he was about 11 when he and older boys saw the Wadsworths having sex against a tree. The man, who also cannot be named, said he was either 12 or 13 when he and two other boys were indecently assaulted. In a video interview played to the jury panel, the man said of the Wadsworths: “They went up a tree and had full sex. “I am pretty sure that they did’t feel comfortable with me being there – with me being so young. We were probably about 10 metres away.” Both defendants, of Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, denied any wrongdoing in police interviews and in the witness box. During her interviews, Mrs Wadsworth said she knew the wooded area at the centre of the case and had been there for walks. She told officers that “like a lot of people” she had “got a bit frisky” on the odd occasion and engaged in outdoor “hanky panky” with her husband to spice up their sex life. After the conviction, David Rouse of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the couple had “lived double lives”. He said: “In their public and professional lives they were a couple who came across as caring, warm and respectable. “However, in their private lives, they preyed on young, impressionable victims for their own sexual gratification.  “I would like to thank the victims for their courage during this difficult and sensitive prosecution. They have helped to bring these two sexual predators to justice.” Pervert BBC radio stars face JAIL for abusing young boys Shamed former BBC radio presenters Tony and Julie Wadsworth are facing jail after a court heard how they targeted young boys for under-age sex in woodlands. The pervert husband-and-wife from Broughton Astley, Leicestershire were found guilty of encouraging their victims – including a teenager looking for a golf ball – to take part in sexual activity in Warwickshire between 1992 and 1996. Publicity-loving Julie Wadsworth, 60, and her 69-year-old husband told Warwick Crown Court they engaged in or watched sex acts in an area of parkland but claimed “young men” were not involved. The radio host – who previously worked for BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio WM in Birmingham – did admit sexually touching the boy back in 1995. But Mrs Wadworth – known on radio as Julie Mayer – told a jury she believed the boy was 17-years-old after admitting she and her husband enjoyed “outdoor hanky panky”. Yet a jury saw through their lies after a month-long trial. Some victims told the court Julie Wadsworth was variously dressed in a “flasher’s mac” trench coat, white high-heels, stockings, suspenders, and a split-skirt at the time of the offences near Atherstone, Warwickshire. The pair were found guilty of indecently assaulting under-age boys in the 1990s and were found guilty by a majority verdict of encouraging boys to take part in sexual activity. They were also convicted of outraging public decency by having sex in woodland. The convictions mean the couple who were once described as the Richard and Judy of local radio now face jail when sentenced this afternoon. The court heard Mrs Wadsworth once posed nearly naked for a “Naughty But Nice” charity calendar. The photo-shoot was for Children in Need, with one image showing her visible from the shoulders up in an over-sized golf bag and another portraying her as Lady Godiva. The court had heard lurid details of the offences. Miranda Moore QC, prosecuting, had told Warwick Crown Court: “Our case is that, not only did they have sex in the open, they did it knowing and taking delight in the fact that young lads were watching, and they encouraged the young lads to view the sexual encounters. “The boys at the time were all too young by law to be participants in any sort of sexual activity. “Julie would encourage one of the boys at a time to engage in sexual activity. “Julie was doing the activity but Tony was there. “He was there to watch in line of sight, usually to act as a look-out or ‘minder’ for Julie.” Ms Moore said the encounters took place in woodland near Atherstone Golf Course in Warwickshire . The boys, who were mostly aged around 14, were encouraged to watch and were also invited by Mrs Wadsworth to join in with her. The court heard details of an alleged incident in 1992 when the radio couple, of Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, had sex against a tree in full view of a group of boys. Mrs Wadsworth said to them: “If you come back next week you can join in”, jurors were told. Two of the boys returned the following week and Mrs Wadsworth performed sex acts on them, in turn, while wearing a trench coat, described as a ‘flashers mac’ by a victim, white high heeled shoes and white stockings. Ms Moore said: “She had sexual activity with these young boys again and again. He must have realised exactly what his wife was up to. “He was there, positioned close enough to be seen and close enough to warn “Sometimes it was he who called a halt – he was effectively calling the shots.” On one occasion, the court heard, an alleged victim was “spooked” by Mr Wadsworth standing nearby with a camera around his neck. Jurors were told Mrs Wadsworth told her husband to “go away for a walk” and then performed a sex act on the youngster. Mrs Wadsworth is further accused of having sex with one of the boys in the lounge of her house. Ms Moore said there were ten to 15 encounters between Mrs Wadsworth and the boy, some of which went on to involve her husband. The meet-ups happened both before and after the boy turned 16, the prosecution said. Ms Moore said Mrs Wadsworth had admitted during police interview to having sex with her husband in public, which she described as “outdoor hanky panky”. She also told officers the outdoor sex had “spiced up their sex life” but she denied ever having any sexual activity with children. Mr Wadsworth provided a prepared written statement at police interview, in which he denied all of the offences. Ms Moore said the alleged offences came to light in 2015 when one of the victims went on a child protection course as part of his job. Mrs Wadsworth gave evidence and said she was “flattered” by the attention of the one boy who she claimed joined in with an outdoor sex session. She also told the court she’d had a boob job to boost her self esteem.