Former BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Pleads Guilty to Making Indecent Images of Children
Former BBC News host Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
The TV personality was arrested in November and charged last month. He made his pleas during a brief hearing at Westminster magistrates court in London on Wednesday.
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The offenses are alleged to have taken place between 2020 and 2022. They relate to pictures that were shared in a WhatsApp chat, according to the Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, or the London police.
Edwards accessed, on WhatsApp, indecent images of children as young as seven, which, according to police, were sent to him by a convicted pedophile.
Under British law, images can mean photos or videos. “Making” indecent images covers a range of actions per its legal definition. It can, for example, include opening an email attachment with an image, downloading an image from a website to a screen; storing an image on a computer; accessing a pornographic website in which images appear in “pop-up” windows; or receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and if part of a group; as well as live-streaming images of children.
A court must usually decide whether an offense falls into the category of possession, distribution or production.
“Edwards was arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorization from the Crown Prosecution Service,” the Met Police previously said. “He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 31 July. Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case. Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.”
The BBC suspended Edwards, the network’s best-paid and most high-profile news presenter, in July last year, over allegations, also made by The Sun, that he paid a teenager for sexually-explicit photos. Police did not take any action against Edwards, saying there was no evidence that a criminal offence had been committed. After taking a 10-month leave of absence, Edwards resigned from the BBC in April on medical grounds.
In a statement to THR, a BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster is “shocked” to hear the details that emerged in court on Wednesday. “There can be no place for such abhorrent behavior and our thoughts are with all those affected.”
“The police have confirmed that the charges are not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC in the summer of 2023, nevertheless in the interests of transparency we think it important to set out some points about events of the last year,” the statement continued.
“In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation. At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.”
“Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court. If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC. During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions.
“We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’ actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
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