BBC boss faces urgent meeting with culture secretary over handling of Huw Edwards case
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will hold an urgent meeting with BBC boss Tim Davie over his handling of the Huw Edwards case.
Edwards, who was the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader before he resigned in April, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children on Wednesday.
Questions have been raised over the BBC’s handling of the scandal after it emerged the corporation knew of Edwards’ arrest in November, but continued employing him until April.
The corporation said had he been charged while employed by the BBC, it would have acted “immediately to dismiss him”.
The conviction also came days after it was revealed Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 in the 2023-24 financial year, making him the BBC’s third-highest-paid presenter.
This was a significant increase on the previous year, when Edwards was paid between £435,000 and £439,999.
Ms Nandy is expected to meet Mr Davie later today, according to reports.
‘Shocked’ BBC condemns Edwards
In a statement released after Edwards’ guilty plea, the BBC said it was “shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court”, adding “there can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour”.
It said at the time of his arrest “no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health”.
Prosecutor Ian Hope said a suspended sentence might be considered for Edwards.
The former BBC newsreader will appear in court in September.
Edwards was sent 41 indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021.
Seven of them were classed as category A, the most serious, while 12 were category B and 22 were category C.
Prosecutors said there were two moving images of a young child, possibly aged between seven and nine years old among the category A images.
The estimated age of most of the children in the images under that category was between 13 and 15, Westminster Magistrates Court was told.
The images were sent to Edwards by Alex Williams, 25, from Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
The Metropolitan Police only began investigating Edwards after officers unearthed his WhatsApp discussion with Williams in an “entirely unrelated” probe.
As a result of the original investigation Williams was convicted of seven offences related to indecent images and prohibited images of children. He was given a suspended 12-month jail sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on 15 March.
Philip Evans KC, defending Edwards, said there was no suggestion his client had made or created any of the images.
What does ‘making’ images mean?
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the term “making” can include opening, accessing, downloading and storing the content, or receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group.
Category A images are the most serious and include penetrative sexual activity and sexual activity with an animal or sadism, while category B images involve non-penetrative sexual activity.
Category C images do not depict any sexual activity.