DJ Chris Denning, infamous for his association with Jimmy Savile and disgraceful history of child sex offences, has passed away at the age of 81. Denning, who gained fame in the 1960s on BBC Radio 1, was serving a prison sentence for 21 historical child sex offences.
The disgraced DJ’s demise occurred on June 24, 2022, at Bedford Hospital due to complications from osteomyelitis—a bone infection linked to Type 2 Diabetes, as confirmed by the coroner. The news of his death surfaced this week following the release of a report by the prison and probation ombudsman investigating the circumstances surrounding his passing.
Denning, once part of the Walton Hop investigation, pleaded guilty to 21 child sex offences related to the teen disco that operated from 1958 to 2001 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. In 2016, he received a 13-year prison sentence at Southwark Crown Court for abusing 11 boys, admitting to indecent assault and inciting acts of gross indecency.
Already serving time for sexual assaults against 24 victims, including incidents allegedly at Jimmy Savile’s residence, Denning’s actions were described by Judge Alistair McCreath as “utterly depraved” with a “devastating” impact on the victims, now grown men.
Transferred to HMP Littlehey in 2018, Denning’s health further deteriorated, leading to his admission to Bedford Hospital in 2021 for Parkinson’s Disease treatment. He spent his final days at HMP Bedford, receiving 24-hour health and social care.
