Zoom Image

BBC presenter Huw Edwards

Photo: POOL / REUTERS

The BBC presenter, who is accused of paying a young person thousands of pounds for sexual photos, is one of Britain's most popular TV journalists, Huw Edwards. This was reported by the station, citing a statement from his wife.

The pressure to name the accused presenter, whose identity had not initially been made public, had grown again after new allegations. The tabloid newspaper »Sun« had reported after the first story about the unknown celebrity of two more allegations. The moderator is said to have sent heart emojis to another, then 17-year-old person via Instagram. In addition, at the beginning of 2021, he visited a young person he had met via a dating app at home, thus breaking the Corona lockdown.

Earlier, the BBC itself reported that the employee sent insulting and threatening messages to a young person in his early 20s.

Because the name of the BBC presenter was initially unknown, there was public speculation for days about who it might be. Some celebrity presenters, including Gary Lineker, had felt compelled to make it clear on social media that it was not themselves.

"These new allegations will result in his completely innocent colleagues suffering even more hatred," tweeted BBC radio presenter Jeremy Vine ahead of Huw's revelation as a defendant. "And the BBC, which I'm sure he loves, is completely finished. But it's his decision – and his decision alone."

The alleged victim herself rejects the account

Huw Edwards has already been suspended since Sunday. The parents of a young person who was 17 years young at the beginning of the crimes accuse the presenter of having paid their child a total of 35,000 pounds (just under 41,000 euros) for sexually explicit photos over three years. The alleged victim denied this account, but the parents maintain the allegations.

Meanwhile, the London police see no evidence of a crime. This was announced by Scotland Yard in the evening.

Edward's wife, Vicky Flind, justified the move to go public by saying that her husband was in poor mental health. "Huw suffers from serious mental health problems. As is well documented, he has been treated for major depression in recent years," Flind said, according to the BBC. The events of the last few days have made the situation even worse, he has suffered another serious seizure and is now being treated as an inpatient in hospital, where he will remain for the foreseeable future."

czl/dpa/Reuters