London: Former BBC TV news presenter Huw Edwards, a household name in Britain, has been charged with three counts of making indecent pictures of children, police say.
Edwards, 62, was the BBC’s highest-paid news presenter and anchored the broadcaster’s BBC News at Ten bulletin for more than two decades. He was one of the main faces at the broadcaster until his departure, announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth to the nation, and leading coverage of the biggest events in Britain since the turn of the century, including elections, royal weddings and the 2012 Olympics. He resigned in April.
Huw Edwards announcing the death of Queens Elizabeth II on BBC News.Credit: BBC
He has been charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child relating to images found on a child’s phone, according to court documents.
“The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat,” a London police spokesperson said.
“Edwards was arrested on 8 November, 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.”
He was bailed to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. If found guilty, Edwards faces up to six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: “We remind all that proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The BBC host was suspended from the broadcaster last July following media reports that a high-profile presenter had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a young man and allegations they had paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.
Edwards’s wife later confirmed he was the presenter at the centre of the allegations, adding that he was being treated for serious mental health issues.
In April he resigned from the broadcaster on “medical advice”.
“After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors,” the BBC said at the time.
“The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don’t believe it appropriate to comment further.”
Reuters
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