Former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has been charged by police over indecent photos of youngsters.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson advised British press: “Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of constructing indecent photos of youngsters following a Met Police investigation. The offences, that are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to pictures shared on a WhatsApp chat.”
Edwards was arrested on November 8, it added. He was charged on June 26 following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, and he has been bailed to seem at Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom on Wednesday July 31, in simply two days’ time.
“Media and the general public are strongly reminded that that is an energetic case,” added the assertion. “Nothing must be revealed, together with on social media, which may prejudice future courtroom proceedings.”
UK Ministry of Justice tips outline a baby as anybody underneath the age of 18. “Making” indecent photos can embrace opening an attachment containing a picture, downloading a picture from an internet site onto a pc display, receiving a picture by way of social media or live-streaming photos of youngsters. Edwards’ offences carry a jail time period of as much as 10 years.
Edwards, who was one of many British broadcaster’s top-paid presenters final 12 months, formally resigned from the company in April, at which level the BBC mentioned the choice had been taken on “medical recommendation” after “40 years of service.”
This got here nearly a 12 months after studies claimed that the newsreader had paid a teenager hundreds of kilos for sexually specific photos. His title was not initially disclosed by The Solar however after days of hypothesis, Edwards, who was in hospital on the time, was outed because the individual being accused of sending the images. He was then signed off work till his official resignation a number of weeks again.
However the information right this moment reveals that when Edwards resigned he had been being investigated by police for 5 months.
Making issues extra embarrassing for the BBC, final week he was revealed to have taken residence his largest pay packet from the company since 2019, incomes as a lot as £480,000 ($620,000) despite the fact that he was off air for eight months.
Within the meantime, the BBC revealed a evaluation into Edwards’ conduct saying it had did not “take into account the potential wider significance” of the criticism made in opposition to him and apologizing to the complainant in regards to the pace by which it was escalated. One other evaluation, a ‘factfinding investigation,’ is but to publish.
