BBC issue statement about Huw Edwards

The BBC confirmed that they were aware of Huw Edwards’ arrest in November.

The 62-year-old ex-broadcaster disappeared from Beeb airwaves in July last year and retired “on medical grounds” in April, having remained on full pay for nearly a year, after it was first alleged he paid a young person £35,000 for inappropriate images.

Today, in an unrelated case, he pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court to three counts of making indecent images of children.

The court heard that he engaged in a WhatsApp chat with an adult man from December 2020, who sent him a total of 377 sexual images, 41 of which were indecent images of children.

Edwards’ contact with the man continued until April 2022, with the last indecent image of a child being shared in August 2021. He was arrested in November and charged last month. He is due to be sentenced on 16 September.

In a statement, the beeb has said that, as Edwards’ employer, they were made aware of his arrest when it took place. They had made the decision to fire him if he was charged, but he had already left the corporation by then.

The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has called an urgent meeting with the BBC’s director general to discuss its handling of the case.

BBC News has said that it was not aware of the arrest nor charges against one of its former presenters until they were made public on Monday. The department notes that it is editorially independent when reporting on the BBC.

BBC statement in full:

“The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.

“The police have confirmed that the charges are not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC in the summer of 2023, nevertheless in the interests of transparency we think it important to set out some points about events of the last year.

“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.

“During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions.

“We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’ actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”

As one of the BBC’s leading news presenters, broadcaster Edwards was a familiar face to millions of people and deemed ‘a safe pair of hands’ to oversee coverage during some of the world’s greatest historical events. Huw had been the main presenter of the BBC’s Ten O’Clock News, since January 2003, and also presented numerous other programmes for the corporation including on the BBC News Channel as well as Newsnight, Panorama and Breakfast News. Prior to hosting the 10 pm news programme from May 1999, he also presented the BBC’s Six O’Clock News.

Huw joined the BBC in 1984 as a news trainee. In 1985 he joined the television newsroom in BBC Wales, and in 1986 became BBC Wales’ Parliamentary Correspondent. He was appointed TV News Political Correspondent in 1988 and went on to cover the downfall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990.

Formerly Chief Political Correspondent for BBC News 24, Huw spent 12 years reporting politics at Westminster. He combined this with presenting a range of programmes on classical music on BBC Two, Radio 3, Radio 4 and S4C. He has co-hosted General Election results programmes on both radio and TV and was one of the lead presenters for the BBC’s Millennium coverage.

Earlier this week it was reported Edwards has split from his wife, TV producer Vicky Flind who he has been with since the early 1990s. He however was seen still wearing his wedding ring at court today.