As a result of the revelation that the BBC was aware of Edwards’ arrest in November yet continued to employ him until April, the organization’s handling of the matter has been called into question.
Regarding the manner in which the BBC’s K Tim Davie, has handled the Huw Edwards matter, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will convene an emergency meeting with him.
On Wednesday, Edwards entered a guilty plea to three counts of creating indecent photographs of children. Prior to his resignation in April, Edwards was the highest-paid newsreader at the BBC.
As a result of the revelation that the BBC was aware of Edwards’ arrest in November yet continued to employ him until April, the organization’s handling of the matter has been called into question.
“Immediately dismiss him” is what the corporation stated it would have done if he had been accused while he was working for the BBC.
Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 during the 2023–24 fiscal year, which placed him as the third-highest-paid presenter at the BBC. The conviction also occurred a few days after it was disclosed that Edwards received this amount of money.
Compared to the previous year, when Edwards was paid between £435,000 and £439,999, this was a significant rise in his compensation.
It is anticipated that Ms. Nandy will meet with Mr. Davie later today, as stated in the reports.
A “shocked” BBC condemns Edwards’ actions.
There can be no place for such vile behavior, the BBC said in a statement that was made after Edwards’ guilty plea. The statement also stated that the BBC was “shocked to hear the details that have emerged in court.”
According to the statement, “no charges had been brought against Mr. Edwards, and the BBC had also been made aware of the significant risk to his health” at the time of his detention.
Ian Hope, the prosecutor, stated that a term of suspended confinement could be sought for Edwards.
September is the month when the former BBC newsreader is scheduled to appear in court.
In the period between December 2020 and August 2021, Edwards received a total of 41 obscene photographs of children.
Seven of them were classified as category A, which is the most severe, while twelve were listed as category B, and twenty-two were listed as category C.
Among the category A photographs, the prosecution stated that there were two moving images of a young child, possibly between the ages of seven and nine years old.
It was reported to Westminster Magistrates Court that the majority of the minors depicted in the photographs that fell into that category were assessed to be between the ages of 13 and 15.
Alex Williams, who is 25 years old and hails from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, was the one who gave the photographs to Edwards.
It wasn’t until detectives discovered Edwards’ WhatsApp conversation with Williams in the course of an “entirely unrelated” investigation that the Metropolitan Police Department started looking into the matter.
Williams was found guilty of seven offenses relating to indecent photos and forbidden photographs of children as a result of the initial investigation that was conducted. Photos of children were prohibited. At the Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on March 15, he was given a sentence of twelve months in jail with a suspended sentence.
In his defense of Edwards, Philip Evans, KC, stated that there was no evidence to show that his client had really developed or created any of the photos.
‘Making’ images: what does that mean?
As stated by the Crown Prosecution Service, the phrase “making” can encompass activities such as opening, accessing, downloading, and storing the content, as well as getting a photograph over social media, even if the image was not requested and even if it was part of a group scenario.
Penetrative sexual behavior, sexual action with an animal, and sadistic sexual activity are all examples of category A images, which are the most serious of the three categories. Category B images, on the other hand, entail sexual activity that is not penetrative.
Pictures that fall under category C do not show any sexual action.