Former BBC Radio 1 DJ and paedophile Michael Willis, who was a known friend of disgraced presenter Jimmy Savile, has died after falling into a river.

Former BBC Radio 1 presenter and convicted paedophile Michael Willis has died after falling into a river (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Former BBC Radio 1 DJ and convicted paedophile Michael Willis has died at the age of 79 after falling into a river.

Willis, who had also been employed as a college lecturer, adopted the name David Evans following his release from prison after serving an 18-month sentence.

According to police, he disappeared in December and was last spotted taking a water taxi to a pontoon where his yacht was docked in Dartmouth, Devon.

Despite extensive searches of the River Dart by coastguards and the RNLI, Willis was not located when he initially went missing. However, on January 20, a body was discovered half a mile downstream.

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The coroner later identified the deceased as David Evans, 79, with no reference to his previous identity, as reported by the Sun.

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Devon area coroner Alison Longhorn said: “The circumstances are David resided on the boat which was moored on the River Dart. He was reported missing to the police as he had not been seen for several days.

“A body was located further down the river several weeks later and it has not been confirmed as that of David Evans. There are no suspicious circumstances. The medical cause of death is unascertained.”

When approached for a statement, David’s ex-wife Julia declined to comment. However, her new husband responded bluntly to the news of Willis’ passing by saying: “Good.”

In 2020, Willis was imprisoned for possessing indecent images of children, discovered during a police raid on his private yacht. He was found to have nearly 500 images stored on his computer.

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Willis was imprisoned for possessing indecent images of children in 2020 (Image: Getty)

Known by the stage name Steve Merike during his DJ career, Willis worked for BBC Radio One in the 1970s. He also had stints at the renowned pirate station Radio Caroline and Radio Trent in the 1980s, where he worked alongside the late TV presenter Dale Winton.

Back in 2015, Willis received a suspended sentence from Leicester Crown Court. Relocating to Plymouth, he took up residence on his boat Appalachian Spring at Plymouth Yacht Haven.

Willis denied possessing 238 Category A indecent images of children – which depict their abuse by adults – found on his computers.

The former DJ also denied having possession of 226 Category B images, but admitted to having 10 pictures classed under the less severe Category C on a memory stick.

His yacht was raided by the police in August 2017, where upon taking the stand, Willis expressed that he found some of the more explicit images “absolutely disgusting”.

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Willis was friends with disgraced presenter and paedophile Jimmy Savile (Image: Getty)

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Following a two-day trial, the jury swiftly rejected his account and delivered a unanimous guilty verdict. In 2015, Willis admitted nine counts of downloading indecent images and movies of children between 2006 and 2013 at a court in Leicester.

During a police interview, he claimed that he had become “intrigued by the Jimmy Savile affair” and intended to share his findings with a sociologist.

Notably, Willis possessed these images while running as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Loughborough in the 2010 General Election, where he garnered nearly 10,000 votes, but ultimately lost to future Conservative education secretary Nicky Morgan.

For 15 years, Willis worked as a lecturer at New College Nottingham and Nottingham Trent, and he also served as a governor at several schools in the Midlands.