Plymouth DJ Michael Willis jailed for child abuse images

PLYMOUTH DJ MICHAEL WILLIS JAILED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

A former BBC Radio 1 DJ Michael Willis, also known under the stage name Steve Merike, has been jailed for possessing indecent images of children.

Police raided his yacht, where he was living on the boat Appalachian Spring at Plymouth Yacht Haven, and found nearly 500 vile pictures on his computer equipment.

Willis, 74, was given an 18-month sentence for his second conviction related to these crimes.

He was previously handed a suspended sentence in Leicester Crown Court in 2015.

Willis, who once worked on Radio Caroline and BBC Radio 1 in the 1970s, also worked at Radio Trent in the 1980s and has held various media positions.

Despite denying possession of 238 Category A images and 226 Category B images, he was found guilty by a jury after a two-day trial.

Willis admitted to finding some of the images 'absolutely disgusting' but claimed some images appeared because his computer was hacked.

He was also caught with Category A images in 2013 when arrested in Loughborough.

Willis previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to downloading nine counts of indecent images of children between 2006 and 2013, claiming he was 'intrigued' by Jimmy Savile and wanted to pass findings to a sociologist.

He also stated some images were downloaded without his knowledge, but the jury did not believe his story.

At the time of the crimes, Willis was a parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrat party in Loughborough, polling nearly 10,000 votes.

The article highlights his connection to Jimmy Savile, as Willis stated he was 'intrigued by the Jimmy Savile affair,' and the pair used to work together at the BBC.