The BBC has said that a male member of staff has been suspended following allegations that a presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.
The presenter – who has not been named – is alleged to have paid thousands of pounds to the teenager in exchange for images.
In a statement, the BBC that it “takes any allegations seriously” and has “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.
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“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,” the statement said.
(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“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,” the statement went on.
(Image: Getty Images)
“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.”
The allegations were initially reported by The Sun, which said the presenter was accused of giving the teen more than £35,000 since they were 17.
After the allegations emerged, a number of stars took to social media to tell fans they were not the unnamed BBC presenter.
Rylan was one of those to speak out, tweeting: “That ain’t me babe.”
And Gary Lineker appeared to be referring to the allegations as he posted: “Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
