Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives for sentencing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, Britain, September 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former British TV news presenter Huw Edwards, the long-time face of the BBC’s flagship news programme, was given a suspended sentence at a London court on Monday (September 16, 2024) after admitting to making indecent images of children.

Mr. Edwards, 63, pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children, relating to 41 illegal images he was sent via WhatsApp – including two pornographic videos of a child aged between seven and nine years old.

Seven of the illegal images were of the most serious category, prosecutor Ian Hope said, adding that both of those videos were marked as “read” on WhatsApp. In response to the second video, Edwards asked the man sending them: “Any more?”

Judge Paul Goldspring sentenced Edwards to six months in prison suspended for two years, meaning Edwards will not go to jail unless he commits another criminal offence in that time.

The offence of making indecent images of children relates to the images that were sent to Edwards. Prosecutors did not allege Edwards had literally made the images in question.

Edwards’ lawyer Philip Evans said: “He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images.”

London:

Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, one of the most recognisable faces on UK television, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

The 62-year-old, who resigned from the BBC in April on “medical advice”, six months after he was initially arrested, admitted committing the offences between December 2020 and April 2022.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

Veteran news anchor Huw Edwards resigned from the BBC on Monday on “medical advice”, the broadcaster said, nine months after he became embroiled in a scandal over sexually explicit images involving a teenager.

Edwards, 62, had been the BBC’s lead presenter in key events, such as the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, but was suspended in July 2023 when allegations first emerged.

“Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC,” the broadcaster said in a statement.

“After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.

“The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don’t believe it appropriate to comment further.”

Earlier this year the BBC apologised to the family of the man who the broadcaster said Edwards had paid for sexually explicit pictures when he was a teenager.

As the accusations became front-page news last July, Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind said the father-of-five was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and had been admitted to hospital.

The man’s family had complained to the BBC about Edwards in May 2023.

But it was only two months later, when The Sun tabloid was ready to publish a story detailing the allegations, that senior leaders were informed of the issue, according to a report commissioned by the broadcaster.

The family said the man, a teenager when he had worked with Edwards, had used the money to fuel a crack cocaine addiction.

However the man, whose identity has never been given, has dismissed those allegations as “rubbish”.

Edwards himself has not publicly commented.

Police have said they found no evidence a criminal offence had been committed.

The scandal dominated Britain’s news bulletins and newspapers when it broke last year.

The BBC’s public brand has been built on public trust but the broadcaster has been rocked in recent years by scandals which saw some big names revealed as serial sex offenders.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)