The British Broadcasting Corp.’s Huw Edwards was named as the presenter alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs. He doesn’t face any criminal charges, the police said.
(Bloomberg) — The British Broadcasting Corp.’s Huw Edwards was named as the presenter alleged to have paid a teenager for sexually explicit photographs. He doesn’t face any criminal charges, the police said.
Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, made a statement on his behalf that was posted on the BBC’s website Wednesday. He suffers from “serious mental health issues” that have been worsened by the controversy. He’s receiving care in the hospital, where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future, Flind said.
The Sun newspaper reported last week that an unidentified BBC presenter had paid £35,000 ($45,000) for sexually explicit images over a three-year period. The publicly funded BBC confirmed on July 9 that it suspended a male member of staff.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement Wednesday it is dropping an assessment of the matter after finding no evidence of criminality.
“In reaching this decision, they have spoken to a number of parties including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant’s family,” the police said.
The Sun’s original story, along with a subsequent drip feed of additional allegations from the newspaper and the BBC itself, fueled days of speculation across social media, and sparked a public debate over privacy and media ethics.
The Sun, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., has defended its handling of the story, and a spokesperson on Wednesday said it doesn’t plan to publish any more details.
The controversy is the latest in a series of crises that have embroiled the century-old BBC’s leadership, in a long-running public debate about its influence, standards, independence and funding. British culture secretary Lucy Frazer said she’s spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie about the actions the corporation is taking over the scandal.
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BBC Chairman Richard Sharp resigned in April after an official inquiry found he breached rules by failing to fully disclose ties to the country’s Conservative Party leadership.
Sharp said at the time his breach was inadvertent and not material, but the episode “may well be a distraction from the corporation’s good work were I to remain in post until the end of my term.”
Earlier this year, ex-England footballer and star presenter Gary Lineker was taken off air for several days after making critical remarks about the government’s policies for asylum seekers, leading to other presenters refusing to broadcast in solidarity.
(Updates with Sun statement in seventh paragraph.)
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