BBC journalist facing allegations of paying a young person in exchange for sexually explicit photos has been identified as Huw Edwards. The senior BBC journalist was identified and named by his wife. The accused journalist allegedly paid a young person thoudands of pounds to obtain sexually explicit photos. BBC had suspended the journalist on Sunday (July 8) after learning about the misdeeds of the senior presenter.
New allegations of different nature
The broadcaster had earlier said that it learnt about the complaints in May. A new set of allegations of different nature came to its notice on Thursday (July 13). The company said that it informed "external authorities" about the matter.
London's Metropolitan Police says contacted by BBC
However, the London's Metropolitan Police was quoted by Reuters saying that though it had received initial information and was contacted by the BBC regarding the matter, the company did not get a formal complaint filed or an allegation registered. “We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow,” read a statement by the police, as quoted by Reuters.
BBC Statement
The BBC gave a detailed statement in the matter. "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations,' the statement said. This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps."
"It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care. We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up."
"The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols. We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended. We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date," said the BBC in its statement.
