Huw Edwards Given Six-month Suspended Jail Sentence for Indecent Images of Children | BBC News

Sep 16, 202 | Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been given a suspended six-month sentence for child abuse image offences, meaning he avoids jail. He is also required to complete a sex offender programme and will be on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

In July, Edwards admitted having 41 such images which were sent to him on WhatsApp. The sentencing hearing is told Edwards, 63, paid another man, Alex Williams, hundreds of pounds of for gifts and presents in exchange for the images.

After sentencing, the BBC said: "We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.


Related links on Huw Edwards here.

Pédopornographie: Huw Edwards, ex-présentateur star de la BBC, condamné à six mois de prison avec sursis : L’homme de 63 ans, indissociable des événements les plus marquants au Royaume-Uni depuis le début des années 2000, a été condamné pour détention d'images pédopornographiques. »

Sechs Monate auf Bewährung für Ex-BBC-Moderator: Der frühere BBC-Moderator Huw Edwards bekannte sich schuldig, Kinderpornographie besessen zu haben. Die Strafe fällt mit sechs Monaten auf Bewährung milde aus. Edwards zeige Reue, sagte der Richter. »

Relationship with father among psychological factors cited in Huw Edwards case: Social media and a perception of Oxbridge elitism at the BBC also featured in experts’ reports »

Four key takeaways from Huw Edwards' sentencing: Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been given a suspended prison term after he admitted making indecent images of children. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard he received more than 40 images over several months from convicted sex offender Alex Williams. Here are four things we learned from the sentencing hearing. »

BBC Asks Huw Edwards to Return the Salary He Was Paid After His Arrest

Aug 9, 2024 | The BBC has asked Huw Edwards to return the salary he was paid during the period following his arrest in November last year, after his guilty plea to charges of having indecent images of children.

Read the full story here.

THE GUARDIAN: BBC asks disgraced presenter Huw Edwards to return £200,000 of salary: Corporation says journalist brought BBC ‘into disrepute’ and requests return of money paid since his arrest »

BBC's ‘Pattern of Behaviour’ with ‘Untouchable’ Presenters after Board Kept Edwards’ Arrest a Secret

Aug 4, 2024 | “The BBC is just in serious, serious trouble because they’re just not being straight on this.” TV Licence fee payers “deserve the truth” from the BBC in the after the revelation of the Huw Edwards scandal, says TalkTV presenter Peter Cardwell.

Mirror exclusive here.

Related »

BBC Wipes Huw Edwards from Archive but Role in State Occasions Presents Challenge

THE OBSERVER: Broadcaster removes image and voice from content as Welsh organisations erase disgraced presenter from websites

Huw Edwards’s image and voice are being urgently removed from hours of BBC archive footage, starting with family and entertainment content on iPlayer, the Observer has learned.

Photographs of the disgraced Welsh television news anchor are also being removed by prominent institutions and charities, and from websites throughout Wales, where he was a national figurehead. » | Vanessa Thorpe | Saturday, August 3, 2024

Man at centre of Huw Edwards case says he felt ‘groomed’ by presenter: Person who admitted sending BBC newsreader explicit messages and videos when in teens felt taken ‘advantage of’ »

Related material here »

Huw Edwards' Deeply ‘Consumed Personality’ Led Him to Commit Crime | Andrew Billen

Aug 1, 2024 | "People like Huw Edwards are a bit weird, a bit different, a bit untouchable, but have a bit more leeway in how they behave”. Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards was able to "hoodwink" other staff members to do as he feels, says The Times’s Andrew Billen.

Huw Edwards’ fall comes 14 months after career peak: Questions to be asked about whether sufficient safeguarding was in place to prevent another TV face exploiting power A measure of the speed and depth of Huw Edwards’ reputational collapse is that his appearance at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday came just 14 months after he reached his career peak, presenting the king’s coronation. The presenter has already suffered disgrace and career ruin and could, when sentencing occurs on 16 September, face jail. »

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Huw Edwards' Broadcasting Career Ends in Disgrace

Edwards, who joined the BBC in 1984, was one of the UK's most high-profile broadcasters | PA MEDIA
BBC: Huw Edwards was one of the most familiar and respected faces on British TV, but is now in disgrace after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

The former BBC News presenter's admission at Westminster Magistrates 'Court on Wednesday came three months after the former anchor resigned from the BBC on "medical advice".

The presenter had been off air since July last year, when he was named as the star at the centre of different allegations, also involving explicit images.

His guilty plea marks the end of a career in broadcasting which has spanned more than 40 years.

He was known for his calm delivery of major news stories and was trusted by viewers.

Until last year, Edwards had been the BBC's first choice to front coverage of major national events, including the 2019 general election and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Professor Tim Luckhurst, a former BBC executive, said there had been "the revelation of a dark side", which had been "extremely well hidden".

"We've seen the downfall of a national figure, and we must recognise that dark side has been responsible for his fall." » | Steven McIntosh, BBC News | Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Huw Edwards could lose series of Welsh honours: Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards could lose a number of Welsh honours after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. »

BBC knew Huw Edwards had been arrested in November: The BBC knew in November that Huw Edwards had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences, the corporation said. »

Related »

Huw Edwards Pleads Guilty to Possessing Indecent Images of Children ‘as Young as Seven’

Jul 31, 2024 | Huw Edwards, the former leading BBC presenter, has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography, including one image of a child believed to be as young as seven years old. Edwards, 62, who left the corporation last year, admitted at Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning to possessing 41 indecent images, seven of which are Category A, the most serious.

BBC video here.

TIMES RADIO video here.

THE GUARDIAN: Huw Edwards pleads guilty to making indecent images of children: Former BBC News presenter admitted three counts at Westminster magistrates court »

Related »

Huw Edwards in Court for Indecent Image Hearing

PA MEDIA
Mr Edwards, 62, is appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Wednesday morning.

As he arrived, he was flanked by several police officers and surrounded by photographers. He was wearing a black suit, blue tie and sunglasses, and had a blank expression. » | Bonnie McLaren, Culture reporter | Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Related »

TV's Huw Edwards Could Face Prison Time after Being Charged with Making Indecent Images of Children

Jul 30, 2024 | "The charges relate to the most extreme category… the images are very graphic in nature”.

Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards could face a potential prison sentence along with a significant fine if found guilty of making indecent pictures of children, says The Times’ media correspondent Alex Farber.


Related »

Former BBC Presenter Huw Edwards Charged with Making Indecent Images of Children

Jul 29, 2024 | The former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children, allegedly between 2020 and 2022. The Metropolitan police said Mr Edwards would appear in court on Wednesday. We’re outside the BBC with the details.

Related material here.

Huw Edwards Charged with Making Indecent Images of Children

BBC: Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022 and relates to images shared on Whatsapp, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The broadcaster was arrested last November and charged last month, the force revealed on Monday.

He is due to appear in court in London on Wednesday. » | Ian Youngs, Culture reporter | Monday, July 29, 2024

Huw Edwards charged with making indecent images of children: Former BBC presenter charged with three offences after Met police investigation »

Related material here.

Huw Edwards' BBC Pay Increased by £40,000 Last Year

BBC: Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards, who resigned from the BBC on medical advice in April, saw his salary increase by £40,000 last year.

Edwards remained on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy.

In the last financial year his salary was between £475,000 - £479,999, the BBC's latest annual report shows. He received between £435,000 and £439,999 in the year 2022/2023.

Edwards left the BBC after being named last year as the presenter at the centre of days of allegations and speculation. He had been off-air since July 2023. » | Emma Saunders, Culture reporter | Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Half a million households cancelled BBC licence fee last year: Corporation faces stark challenge as it struggles to reach younger audiences who are watching Netflix and YouTube »

‘No One Expects Him Back’: What Now for the BBC’s Huw Edwards?

THE GUARDIAN: Suspended presenter remains silent over partly withdrawn claims he paid a young person for explicit images but still faces internal inquiry

It is believed that subsequent complaints about Huw Edwards messaging younger colleagues could cause him more trouble than the original disputed Sun story. Photograph: Chris Jackson/PA
Last September, Huw Edwards sprinted out of a barbershop near his south London home after being summoned to the BBC’s headquarters so he could announce Queen Elizabeth’s death to the nation.

Now the BBC is weighing up whether it can ever reuse footage of Edwards’s historic royal broadcast, with the presenter still suspended in the wake of the Sun’s partly-retracted allegation that he paid a 17-year-old for explicit images.

It has been almost two months since the newspaper sparked both the fiercest and shortest BBC scandal in recent history. Within a week, it went from being a story that could topple the director general to one that was barely meriting a mention in the wider media.

Yet questions remain for the BBC, the Sun and the presenter himself – and it is unclear whether Edwards will ever be able to unwind the knotty mess of public, personal and workplace issues that have him left him off air.

One senior BBC journalist summarised the verdict of large parts of the newsroom when it comes to Edwards’s employment prospects: “No one expects him to come back.” » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Saturday, September 2, 2023

Huw Edwards Scandal: 'The BBC Should Stand Up for Itself More,' Says Sir Tony Blair

Jul 16, 2023 | The Sun is facing questions over its coverage of allegations against the 61-year-old newsreader - with some asking whether the claims should have been reported at all. Sky's Sophy Ridge asks former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair his opinion on whether or not certain institutions are "gunning for" the BBC.

Is Blair right about Brexit, though? Check this out here.

The Sun’s Splash, Huw Edwards and the Drama That Gripped Britain and Shook the BBC

Huw Edwards is a household name, who made an enticing target for the tabloid. Photograph: BBC
THE OBSERVER: In one week, the allegations and responses to them have plunged the national broadcaster into yet another crisis – and raised serious questions about the Murdoch tabloid

It was a grim sort of guessing game played across Britain last week: who was the mystery BBC broadcaster who had reportedly paid £35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images? By Tuesday the field of suspects had narrowed, as horrified presenters, misidentified in social media posts, attempted to distance themselves. Then on Wednesday came the revelation: the hidden man at the centre of this tabloid newspaper accusation was Huw Edwards, the BBC’s lead news anchor, whose calm and authoritative voice had announced the death of the Queen.

The astonishing allegations carried in the Sun newspaper last weekend have split the nation and put many leading commentators at loggerheads, to say nothing of pitting an endangered BBC against Rupert Murdoch’s news empire.

“The idea a big public figure has a double life is going to excite huge interest, but we don’t know the facts yet,” said one former senior BBC news chief. “The BBC must work out if it has been brought into disrepute. The claims could certainly be construed as very undermining of Edwards’ role as the face of the BBC’s coverage of state occasions. He has a special relationship of trust with the public.” » | Vanessa Thorpe and Jon Ungoed-Thomas | Saturday, July 15, 2023

Huw Edwards: Huge pressure to name presenter amid allegations, BBC chair says: The BBC was under "huge pressure" to reveal that Huw Edwards was the presenter facing media allegations last week, its acting chairwoman has said. »

The BBC Aired Saturation Coverage of Anchor’s Behavior. Was It Too Much?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The BBC is no ordinary media outlet and its presenter is no ordinary journalist. But the network’s wall-to-wall coverage has raised questions of its own.

Huw Edwards in London in March. | Ian West/Press Association, via Getty Images
There were urgent NATO meetings about the war in Ukraine, raging floods from India to Vermont, and a record heat wave across America. But this week the BBC wound up airing wall-to-wall coverage of a different story: itself.

The confirmation that Huw Edwards, a prominent BBC anchor, was the unnamed person at the heart of allegations of sexual misconduct ended days of breathless speculation that consumed Britain’s public broadcaster. Yet it left a lingering sense of unease about the role of the British news media — and its even more intrusive cousin, social media — in the unmasking of a public figure.

Mr. Edwards, his wife said on Wednesday, has been hospitalized with a mental breakdown aggravated by a tabloid newspaper report that he paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager for sexually explicit images. The police said they found no evidence that Mr. Edwards had committed a crime, raising questions about why the BBC devoted hours of airtime, or the papers acres of newsprint, to what turned out to be the private life of one of the broadcaster’s stars.

The allegations were salacious, to be sure — catnip for the British press — and the BBC was trying to show journalistic integrity by not shying away from embarrassing news about a member of its own staff. » | Mark Landler | Thursday, July 13, 2023

‘I hope Huw Edwards is shown the same kindness that saved me when I first came clean about my problems’: Following the BBC star’s wife describing the newsreader’s mental health, one writer shares his own story about dealing with depression »

Andy Coulson advising Huw Edwards’s family on crisis management: Ex-News of the World editor takes on old News UK colleagues over Sun’s allegations against suspended BBC presenter »

Huw Edwards: the unanswered questions hovering over presenter’s future: The Sun and the BBC have both come under criticism over the paper’s coverage and the broadcaster’s handling of the scandal »

Huw Edwards Named by His Wife as BBC Presenter Involved in Explicit Photo Scandal

Jul 13, 2023 | Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan says Huw Edwards’ wife released an emotional statement confirming he’s the BBC Presenter involved in the explicit photo scandal. “I know him a bit, I feel sorry for the situation he’s in, but I also need to know more about what’s been going on,” Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan said.

BBC in Shock as There Are Now Seven Allegations against Huw Edwards | Oliver Whitfield Miocic

Jul 13, 2023 | “Even though almost everybody in the building knew, to have that name confirmed still came as a shock to many here.”

Huw Edwards: BBC to focus on ‘fact finding’ as police say no criminal case: Broadcaster resumes investigation as Sun faces questions over its suggestion presenter had bought explicit images from 17-year-old which the young person denied »

Top News Anchor Is Identified as Person Suspended by the BBC: The wife of Huw Edwards, one of the BBC’s most prominent figures, said in a statement that her husband suffered from mental health issues. The police said there was no evidence of a crime. »

Huw Edwards will now be remembered in a very different way: The newsreader who told the world of Queen Elizabeth II's death is now known for being the presenter at the heart of the latest BBC scandal »

Huw Edwards Named as ‘Sex Picture Scandal’ BBC Presenter by Wife

Jul 12, 2023 | The BBC presenter Huw Edwards is being treated in hospital, as his wife says he's suffered another serious episode of depression after what she called "five extremely difficult days" for their family.

Vicky Flind confirmed Mr Edwards was the household name at the centre of a series of recent allegations and said her husband would respond to the claims when he was well enough.

Meanwhile Scotland Yard said it had found no evidence that a criminal offence had been committed and would take no further action.

Huw Edwards Named as Suspended BBC Presenter by His Wife

Jul 12, 2023 | Huw Edwards has been named by his wife as the suspended BBC presenter facing allegations of sexual misconduct.