The BBC say they are “appalled” by Huw Edwards.
The disgraced former BBC News presenter was handed a six-month suspended sentence on Monday (September 16) at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
He has been issued a six-month sentence, suspended for two by Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring – a sentence which includes a sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions. He told Edwards that his offences are “extremely serious”.
Edwards sat forward in court with his hands together, pressed against his lips, as Mr Goldspring told him: “The impact of child sexual abuse can be severe and lifelong.” Mr Goldspring said: “Perhaps it does not need saying that you are of previous good character having enjoyed a very successful career in the media. You were highly regarded for your dedication and professionalism, perhaps the most recognised journalist in the UK. Your reputation is in tatters.”
Addressing the court case in a statement, the BBC said: “We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.”
Mr Goldspring said: “I accept that your mental health at the relevant time and you had no memory of viewing any particular image and do not know whether you did. You did not store the images, you did not keep them and you did not distribute them. In a psychological assessment, experts said he was ‘destabilised’ and a ‘social media presence allowed him to interact with people who he would not normally have access to’.
The court heard how Edwards had “fragile self-esteem”, creating a “perfect storm where he indulged in sexual infidelities”. The authorities added he would be “particularly vulnerable in the prison population” and had a “considerable risk of harm by others” and his “suicide risk would be high”.
It was heard he “does not pose a risk to people under the age of 18” and had “shown insight, shame and remorse”. Goldspring also declined to make Edwards the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
He said the former News At 10 presenter did not pose a risk to the public but stated he would be on the Sexual Offenders’ Register for seven years. Disgraced news anchor Edwards, 63, was previously charged with making indecent images of children.
Claire Brinton, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long-lasting trauma for these victims. The CPS and Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via WhatsApp. This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.”
Edwards was suspended from the BBC in November 2023 after they became aware “in confidence” that he’d been arrested on suspicion of serious offences. However, he did not step down until April 2024 and still received a salary from the corporation.
He pleaded guilty in July to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child. Seven of the 41 images were the most serious type. A previous hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court heard that Edwards had messaged paedo Alex Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
(Image: Getty Images)
Williams sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.
Edwards pleaded guilty to charges of seven Category A, the worst category, 12 Category B, and 22 Category C indecent images of children. On February 2, 2021, Williams asked whether what he was sending was too young, and Edwards told him not to send any underage images, the court heard.
The criminal images that were sent included seven Category A, the worst, 12 Category B, and 22 Category C. Of the category A images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy. Opening the case at the court, prosecutor Ian Hope said: “It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
“It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending abusive images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted.
“Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around £1,000 to £1,500. The bulk of the images were sexual images featuring younger-looking adult males, and therefore lawful. However, a significant minority proportion of the images recovered were IIOC. From the WhatsApp Chat recovered a total of around 377 sexual images were sent to Mr Edwards, of which 41 comprised IIOC (just over 10%).”
Alex Williams asked for a “Christmas gift after all the hot videos” from Huw Edwards, the court heard. Prosecutor Ian Hope said the convicted paedophile offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but “the others were amazing”.
“The court heard a new link contained a Category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a Category A image. “Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for ‘a Christmas gift after all the hot videos’ and Mr Edwards responds ‘What do you need?’,” the prosecutor continued.
(Image: BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty Images)
“Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.” He sent Edwards 377 images, 41 of which were indecent. The court heard how Edwards replied: “Yes xxx,” when he was asked if he wanted sexual images of an individual whose “age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.”
Hope added: “From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special’. Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject’s age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.
“These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis. Alex Williams stated that he had ’12 videos and 42 pics I’ve sent you a video of him before’.”
“Shortly after Alex Williams asked: ‘Want me to send you the full file?’ Mr Edwards responded ‘Yes xxx…’ prompting Alex Williams to send Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.”
Williams made contact with Edwards in early 2018 and they exchanged sexual images for more than four years. Edwards described some of the abuse images as “amazing”, the court heard. In one exchange, Williams sent Edwards a Cat A child abuse image, to which the ex-News at Ten presenter simply replied, “F***”. The pair then wished each other a Happy Christmas.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Huw Edwards did not respond after Williams sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13. Prosecutor Hope said: “On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively.
“There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as ‘read’. A week later… a number of attachments were sent which included two Category B videos and four Category C still images comprising indecent images of children.
“On February 19 2021, Alex Williams asked ‘Is the stuff I’m sending too young for you?’ The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying ‘don’t send underage’.” Edwards told convicted paedophile Williams “go on” when he was asked if he wanted “naughty pics and vids” of somebody described as “yng (sic)”. Ian Hope told the court: “In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some ‘naughty pics and vids unsure if you’d like’. Mr Edwards tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams states ‘yng (sic)’.
“Mr Edwards again tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9…” Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram. Alex Williams says the subject is ‘quite young looking’ to which Mr Edwards responds it ‘can be deceptive’ and asks if he has ‘any more?’ Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal. Mr Edwards says ‘Ah OK don’t’ and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as ‘looks young don’t he but he’s deffo 19.'”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
