Police investigating a fatal shooting at an all-night lockdown party in Essex are considering if there was a link to a music video featuring radio presenter Tim Westwood that was being filmed at the property, according to individuals with knowledge of the case.
Three people were shot in a drive-by shooting at 5am last Saturday morning outside an address on the outskirts of Harlow, Essex. Robert Powell, 50, later died in hospital, while two women were also taken to hospital with single gunshot wounds.
Westwood, who now hosts a Saturday night show on Capital Xtra after a long career at the BBC, confirmed he had been filming at the property in question but said he left before the murder took place.
A spokeswoman for the 62-year-old told the Guardian he had not broken lockdown rules and had stayed apart from other guests: “On Friday 12 June Tim was asked to make a cameo appearance in a music video being filmed at a property in Essex. During the video recording there were only a handful of people present and social distancing rules were strictly adhered to.
“Tim left after making his appearance, which was many hours before the serious incident took place. Tim had no knowledge of the incident and was deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic news. His thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family.”
Police have previously told local website YourHarlow that a number of people arrived at the address in a car early last Saturday morning and “fired several gunshots at a group of people who were outside the address, having attended a party there”.
They are appealing for anyone with more information to contact the police or phone Crimestoppers anonymously, saying they “have made good progress in this investigation and now believe this was a targeted attack”.
The police declined to comment on who was present at the event: “This was a private party and a number of people who attended are assisting us with our ongoing investigation. We will not be commenting on the attendance of any particular individuals.”
The party is another sign that lockdown rules appear to be fraying, with events and raves increasingly taking place across the UK. A spokesperson for Global Media, the owner of Capital Xtra, declined to comment on whether it had any concerns about its presenters attending gatherings at other people’s homes during lockdown. Westwood’s show is still scheduled to go ahead as planned on Saturday.
The longtime hip-hop presenter, the son of a former bishop of Peterborough, was previously shot in a drive-by shooting in London in 1999.
