2 days Ago By [email protected] (Susan Knox)
BBC boss Tim Davie has said he can’t ever see disgraced ex anchor Huw Edwards working for the BBC again as he called his crimes 'appalling'. The shamed BBC presenter has dodged an immediate prison sentence for having child abuse images on his phone. The ex-News at Ten presenter, 63, was handed a six-month sentence, suspended for two, by Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Following his sentencing, BBC Director General Tim Davie has spoken out as he condemned Edwards for tarnishing the BBC's reputation. “This man has just been convicted of appalling crimes and it’s pretty straightforward in my mind that I can’t see him working at the BBC again. There’s no doubt that an affair like this impacts our reputation and I don’t know yet in terms of the direct impact on trust,” he said.
“What I would say is we track it very carefully, we’re very mindful of people. People’s trust in the BBC is essential and hopefully we’ll do the right thing and the public aren’t stupid and they can see when we’re taking the right action and acting in good faith and trying to get through things in a calm and fair manner.” Davie made the remarks at the Royal Television Society conference in London on Tuesday morning, where he was being interviewed by BBC journalist Amol Rajan.
Father-of-five Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children on July 31. Westminster Magistrates Court heard that he was involved in an online chat with convicted paedophile Alex Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who 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 faces charges of seven Category A, the worst category, 12 Category B, and 22 Category C indecent images of children. Before Edwards stepped down due to health concerns in April, he was the top-earning newsreader at the BBC, raking in between £475,000 and £479,999 for the fiscal year 2023/24, as revealed by the BBC's most recent annual report. Edwards was arrested in November 2023 and continued to be paid by the BBC until he resigned five months later.
Following numerous calls, the BBC have said they are demanding he pays back the money he earned from them between that time. The disgraced TV presenter appeared in court yesterday for his sentencing. It emerged during the hearing that Edwards had handed over sums of money to convicted paedophile Alex Williams in exchange for images of child abuse.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring delivered the verdict of Edwards' sentence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Edwards sat forward 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 told Edwards his "reputation is in tatters," while starting his sentencing remarks.
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." 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". He 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". They said 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 he "did not pose a risk to the public" but stated he would be on the Sexual Offenders' Register for seven years. Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads..
