Ex-Radio 1 DJ and convicted paedophile Michael Willis found dead after falling from yacht into river

The 79-year-old, who changed his name to David Evans, disappeared in December 2023 after being last seen taking a water taxi to his yacht. His body was discovered nearly a month later.

Willis, known professionally as Steve Merike, was reported missing after his abandoned boat was found with his phone still inside, according to Daily Mail.

"His boat was unlocked and his phone was inside. His torch was found still lit on the pontoon next to the boat. Something happened and he must have gone into the water," a source told the outlet.

Extensive searches by the RNLI and coastguard failed to locate him immediately. However, on January 20, 2024, a body was found half a mile downstream and later identified as Willis.

An inquest into his death, initially referring to him only as David Evans, found no suspicious circumstances. 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. There are no suspicious circumstances. The medical cause of death is unascertained.”

Willis had a history of child sex offences, first coming to public disgrace in 2010 while running as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Loughborough.

In 2015, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of downloading indecent images and movies of children between 2006 and 2013. He later re-offended and was jailed in 2020 for possessing over 500 indecent images of children, including 238 Category A images, the most severe classification.

During his trial, Willis denied downloading the material, claiming his computer had been hacked. However, a jury unanimously found him guilty.

Willis started his broadcasting career with Radio Caroline before moving to BBC Radio 1 in the 1960s. He later worked at Radio Trent in the 1980s, where he was a colleague of Dale Winton.

He also lectured in media and radio at Nottingham Trent University and was a school governor at several Midlands institutions. During his career, Willis interviewed stars such as Marc Bolan of T-Rex and hosted the TV show Pop Quest.