Laurence Westgaph was a known abuser. Why did National Museums Liverpool look the other way?

Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual and physical violence and coercive control. The names of victims have been changed to protect their anonymity.

In August 2020, the woman in charge of most of Liverpool’s museums and galleries got a private message on Twitter about a matter that was described as “sensitive and pressing”. As a senior executive at National Museums Liverpool (NML), Janet Dugdale was one of the most influential figures in the city, in charge of over a million objects and artworks across eight sites, including the Walker Art Gallery and the International Slavery Museum. And she had just made a decision that was proving to be immediately controversial.

The message concerned NML’s appointment of a Historian in Residence — not usually something that would attract much public interest. This was the summer of global anger over the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests over racism and police violence. By appointing a local black historian called Laurence Westgaph, NML was taking “an important action to help us achieve our promise to be anti-racist,” Dugdale was quoted saying in a press release.

But the message that dropped into Dugdale’s inbox told a different story about Westgaph, calling him “a perpetrator of sexual and domestic violence” and describing his appointment as “an affront to both victims and survivors.” Dugdale replied to the message, promising that she would get back to the writer. But she never did, and Dugdale has chosen not to answer our questions about why.

NML had been inundated with hundreds of social media posts along the same lines, questioning the decision to hire Westgaph due to past convictions for violent assault and statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl. But the significance of the private message to Dugdale was that, though it didn’t say so explicitly, it came from a woman who had experienced serious sexual and emotional abuse by Westgaph.

By not replying and engaging with this woman, NML missed an opportunity to learn the true horrors of Westgaph’s abuse, which The Post can report for the first time today. Via conversations with 16 sources and documents that support their allegations — including messages from Westgaph himself in which he admits disturbing behaviour towards one of his ex-girlfriends — we can paint a picture of a man who has repeatedly abused, stalked and coerced his romantic partners, some of whom say they are still scared of him to this day.

Our reporting also shows that NML failed to act on a series of warnings from its own staff that Westgaph was touching female colleagues inappropriately and making women feel uncomfortable, all the while allowing Westgaph to have contact with young people — a stunning failure of safeguarding that NML has not explained. As one serving staff member put it to The Post: “How do I bring young people in [to the museums] when there's this monster here?”

In light of this story, NML says it has launched an internal investigation into Westgaph, who left his role as resident historian last year, and is “encouraging any colleagues who wish to come forward with related information.” A legal firm representing Westgaph has so far not answered any of the detailed questions sent by The Post just over a week ago, repeatedly stating that Westgaph needs more time and the names of each victim involved in order to answer the claims. Westgaph’s lawyer says he denies all the allegations and that he has been the victim of a plot by an ex-partner to sully his name. They provided us with the following statement from Westgaph:

“I have been presented with a long list of wholly unparticularised allegations made against me. Notwithstanding this, I categorically deny all wrongdoing. I have been told that these allegations have been referred to the police. I am committed to fully co-operating with the police with any enquiries they have. I have however not been charged or questioned in connection with any of these allegations (some of which are 23 years old). Although very serious allegations have been made against me (which I emphatically deny) it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on matters which have been referred to the police”.

Liverpool’s worst kept secret

When Millie met the historian, activist and television presenter Westgaph around six years ago, she was instantly enamoured. Tall, handsome and fashionably dressed in 70s style flares and boots, Westgaph is a recognisable figure in Liverpool. He also has a national profile, having presented historical documentaries on the BBC and the History Channel and running popular walking tours around the city. Last year, he was crowned the second most influential black Scouser by the news site LiverpoolWorld.

At first, Millie’s relationship with Westgaph felt like a dream. She says he would lavish her with praise, showing up unannounced at her home or workplace to surprise her. But by her account, he soon began to reveal a darker side: isolating her from her friends and family; belittling and degrading her; and coercing her into violent sex. Whenever she separated from him, he would park outside her house, leaving something with his name on the seat — “so I always knew it was him,” she remembers. He would bombard her with text messages and even tried to force his way into her home.

The onslaught became so bad that Millie installed security cameras and became paranoid. At one point, she says she wrote a letter to her friend detailing his name and address, in case she ever went missing. There’s no evidence that Westgaph posed a risk to her life, but even now, several years later, she still checks under her bed and in her wardrobes whenever she comes home.

Millie isn’t the only woman who’s experienced this kind of behaviour from Westgaph. Over the past month, The Post has uncovered a frightening pattern of abuse, violence and coercion spanning the last two decades, including incidents NML could have discovered if it had made any effort to vet the man they were hiring in 2020. One person we have spoken to describes Westgaph’s abuse as one of Liverpool’s “worst kept secret[s]”.