UPDATE: Huw Edwards has pled responsible to expenses of constructing indecent photographs of youngsters.
The previous top-tier BBC newsreader entered Westminster Magistrates Courtroom at 10 a.m. GMT sharp for his listening to and pled responsible to all expenses.
Edwards bowed his head as he mentioned “responsible” to a few expenses of constructing indecent photographs of youngsters, for class A, class B and class C photographs. He additionally confirmed his identify and tackle. This was the primary time he’d been seen in public for months.
The court docket had initially solely anticipated that Edwards would affirm identify and tackle and his pleas appeared to catch many abruptly.
The costs have been modified barely, to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2021 not August 2022 whereas there have been seven class A photographs, 12 class B and 22 class C.
The court docket heard that the previous information anchor was in a chatroom, the place he acquired a thread of photographs on WhatsApp in the course of the interval. Prosecutors mentioned these photographs have been “clearly authorized” by Edwards, and there have been 377 of them in complete, with 41 categorised as indecent. The majority have been despatched throughout a two-month interval, prosectors mentioned.
Of the seven class A, that are essentially the most critical, the court docket heard that they have been principally of youngsters aged 13 to fifteen however there have been two transferring photographs of a younger youngster, probably aged between seven and 9.
The court docket heard how, in February 2021, Edwards was requested by a person if photographs have been of youngsters who have been too younger, and that Edwards had instructed him to not ship any underage photographs.
Defending Edwards, his lawyer Philip Evans KC mentioned there was “no suggestion” that Edwards had made or created any of the pictures.
“The general public understanding is vital by way of context right here,” mentioned Evans. “He didn’t maintain the pictures nor ship them to anybody else and didn’t or has not sought any comparable photographs wherever else.”
PREVIOUS: Huw Edwards, who was till April the BBC’s best-known and highest-paid information anchor, has arrived in court docket to face expenses of constructing indecent photographs of youngsters.
The Welsh broadcaster, who has been a fixture on British screens for many years, walked into London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom carrying darkish sun shades and a swimsuit. An enormous media throng had gathered within the hour previous to his arrival in preparation for what might show to be one of many highest profile media trials of the 12 months.
Edwards was charged with three counts of “making indecent photographs of youngsters” in late June following a months-long Metropolitan Police investigation. The offences, that are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to photographs shared on a WhatsApp chat.
He’s accused of getting six class A photographs, 12 class B photographs and 19 class C photographs on his WhatsApp. Class A is outlined as “photographs involving penetrative sexual exercise, sexual exercise with an animal or sadism.”
Edwards’ look at this time is a primary listening to. He’s in court docket having not been seen in public for a 12 months. He stopped showing on the BBC when allegations surfaced in The Solar final summer time and exited the company in April 2024 on “medical recommendation” after “40 years of service,” the company mentioned, coming simply previous to him taking dwelling his largest pay packet in 5 years.
He was arrested 5 months earlier than he left the BBC and charged simply two months later. Whereas the authorized proceedings are lively, the BBC is declining touch upon Edwards’ case and isn’t saying whether or not it had continued paying him or whether or not it had data of his arrest.
