Abhay Singh
BBC chief Tim Davie is set to meet with ministers following disgraced presenter Huw Edwards admitting to accessing indecent photographs of children.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy summoned Davie amid concerns that the corporation continued to pay Edwards’ £470,000-a-year salary after his arrest in November.
The broadcaster continued employing Edwards until he quit in April, earning around £200,000 while under arrest on suspicion of serious offenses.
Edwards pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday
BBC presenter, Edwards, has pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs, with seven of the 41 images being of the most serious type. The BBC claimed it would have dismissed Edwards immediately if he was charged while still an employee. However, questions remained within the corporation about what bosses knew and when, and whether the star was given preferential treatment.
The corporation is also facing pressure to publish the findings of its own secretive internal review into the conduct of Edwards, which it never made public.
Offenses by Edwards
The offenses were committed between December 2020 and August 2021, when Edwards was still a fixture on the BBC. During that period, he fronted coverage of major national events, including the funeral of the late Duke of Edinburgh in April 2021.
Both the Crown Prosecution Service and Scotland Yard are also facing secrecy allegations over the handling of Edwards’s arrest and charge.
Edwards admitted three charges of making indecent photographs, with seven of them being ‘Category A’, the most serious type.
During the exchanges with Williams, which took place over eight months, Edwards delivered coverage of Prince Philip’s funeral to the nation.
This case is separate from the allegations first made by The Sun last July that saw him suspended from the BBC over claims he had paid a young man he met initially through social media for pictures.
An internal note sent to BBC staff last night, co-signed by bosses including director-general Tim Davie and chief executive of BBC News Deborah Turness, said they were ‘appalled’ by news of Edwards’s guilty plea and there was ‘no place for such behavior’.
Edwards was the best paid news presenter last year
BBC’s media and culture editor, Katie Razzall, has raised questions about the corporation’s reputation following the arrest of presenter Edwards. She questioned why Edwards was still paid five months after his arrest and whether the BBC will seek to recoup some of his salary.
Edwards was the best paid news presenter last year, earning up to £479,999 in the 12 months to the end of March, and receiving a £40,000 pay rise, making him the third highest paid star at the corporation.
“At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards”
BBC is considering recouping a pay rise for a journalist who was suspended in July due to his coverage of the Queen’s death. The corporation has not disclosed whether it was aware of his arrest in November, but has attempted to defend its actions in a statement.
BBC commented “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. We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’s actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
“There can be no place for such behaviour” at the BBC, the note, which was also signed by group chief operational officer Leigh Tavaziva and chief executive Deborah Turness of BBC News & Current Affairs, stated.
Some believe senior editors may have turned a blind eye to his behavior, indicating a ‘protect the star’ policy.
The BBC has apologized to the family of the young person involved in the complaint, and a report has highlighted the need for greater consistency in handling complaints.
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