Huw Edwards, a former newsreader for the BBC, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of creating obscene photographs of children.
The 62-year-old man admitted to committing three offenses between the months of December 2020 and August 2021 as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court with photographers accompanying him. He was wearing a dark blue suit, a blue tie, and dark sunglasses.
Before entering a guilty plea, he appeared to be a little taken aback when the initial charge was brought against him while he was standing in the dock.
He possessed 41 photographs on the messaging service WhatsApp, seven of which were classified as category A images, twelve as category B pictures, and twenty-two as category C pictures.
According to what the court heard, the majority of the juveniles depicted in the category A photographs were between the ages of 13 and 15.
According to the prosecution, however, there were two moving photographs of a young child, who may have been between the ages of seven and nine years old.
It was brought to the attention of the court that Edwards had engaged in a conversation with an adult male while using WhatsApp during the months of December 2020 and April 2022.
The individual emailed Edwards 377 sexual photographs, 41 of which were images of children that were considered inappropriate. Within a span of two months, the majority of these, which totaled 36 photos, were transmitted.
In August of 2021, the final indecent image was sent, which was a film of category A classification that included a young kid.
Edwards was informed by the man that the youngster appeared to be extremely young and that he possessed further photos that were unlawful.
According to the court’s hearing, he inquired as to whether the individuals depicted in the photographs he was sending were of an inappropriately young age. In answer, Edwards advised him not to send anything that was unlawful.
The two continued to send and receive lawful pornographic photographs until April 2022, after which they eventually stopped sending any more.
Philip Evans KC, the defense attorney for Edwards, stated that there was no evidence to imply that the former newsreader had contributed to the creation of any of the photos and that the images were only found in his WhatsApp.
In his statement, he stated that Edwards, who was taken into custody in November of the previous year and charged on June 26th, did not keep or deliver any photographs, nor did he request any images from any other source.
“There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr. Edwards has, in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort,” he explained to reporters.
In addition, it is essential to keep in mind, for the sake of context, that the devices, such as those belonging to Mr. Edwards, have been seized and searched, and there is nothing found within those devices.
“The charges that were sent through a WhatsApp chat are only related to the photographs that were sent during the conversation.
“Mr. Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else, and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else.”
Outside of the courthouse in central London, demonstrators yelled “repent” as Edwards was leaving the building.
A representative from the NSPCC stated: “Online child sexual abuse offences can have a devastating impact on victims, and we should be in no doubt about the seriousness of Edwards’ crimes.”
It was said by the Internet Watch Foundation that “this is criminal material” and that “there can be no excuse” for it.
‘Making’ images: what does that mean?
As stated by the CPS, the term “making” can encompass activities such as opening, accessing, downloading, and storing the content, as well as getting a picture through social media, even if it was not requested and even if it was the result of participation in a group.
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.
When photographs are classified as category C, it indicates that they do not appear in categories A or B and do not portray any sexual action.
Earlier inquiries and analysis
Prior to his resignation in April, Edwards played a prominent role as one of the most prominent broadcasters at the BBC. Apparently, the decision was taken “on medical advice,” according to the BBC.
The presenter resigned after being accused of paying a minor hundreds of pounds for sexually graphic photographs. The allegations were brought against him under different circumstances.
Following the publication of the allegations in The Sun newspaper, which occurred five days later, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that it would not be taking any additional action because it did not feel that any illegal behavior had taken place.
In a statement that was issued at the time, Edwards’ wife stated that her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and was “receiving in-patient hospital care,” notwithstanding the revelation of the allegations.
Previously, Edwards was the host of the BBC’s News at Ten program for twenty years. During that time, he was responsible for anchoring coverage of key national events, such as the announcement of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the coverage of her funeral.
He was previously the highest-paid newsreader at the BBC, with a pay bracket that ranged from £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023/24. This pay range was for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials, and other television programs, as stated in the most recent annual report of the corporation.