Man who sent former BBC star Huw Edwards child sex images revealed

It’s been revealed that a convicted paedophile sent two videos of a boy as young as seven to a veteran BBC newsreader.

A paedophile who shared vile child sex images with Huw Edwards has been revealed for the first time. Alex Williams, 25, sent the veteran newsreader 41 images - including two videos of a boy as young as seven - in a sick WhatsApp chat.

He previously pleaded guilty to a string of child sex offences and was handed a suspended sentence.

When police launched a probe into the convicted paedophile, they seized a phone that exposed Edwards’ crimes.

Broadcaster Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

The former BBC presenter yesterday admitted three counts of making indecent images of children.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told seven of the 41 images fall under Category A - the most serious classification.

This included two moving images of a young boy, possibly aged between seven and nine years old.

He also had photos of other children aged between 13 and 15 stored on his phone that were classed as Category A.

A further 12 images were grouped as Category B and 19 as Category C.

Edwards had engaged in an online chat with Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.

During this time, the paedophile sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. It has now emerged Williams pleaded guilty in March to seven offences relating to possessing and distributing indecent images.

He was handed a 12-month jail term suspended for two years.

His family have now spoken of their shock and revealed Williams graduated from university in Cardiff two years ago.

Williams’ parents told the Daily Mail their son is no longer living with them and denied having any knowledge of his crimes.

Edwards was the BBC's Ten O'clock News anchor and was chosen to announce the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II to the nation. Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

His grandmother claimed she had no idea her “quiet” grandson was involved in the Edwards affair.

The gran said: “He’s a quiet boy, he works in Cardiff, I’m not sure what he does.

“This is a shock to me now.”

Edwards is now facing a maximum 10 year sentence when he is sentenced on September 16.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Edwards had not created any of the images himself.

In February 2021, Williams asked Edwards whether the pictures he was sending were too young - causing the broadcaster to ask not to send anything illegal.

Then in August 2021, Edwards was sent a video featuring a boy who was “of younger age than virtually all of the other indecent images”.

Williams told Edwards the boy was quite young looking, and that he had more images which were illegal.

The court heard Edwards told him not to send any illegal images.

No more of these pictures or video were sent and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.

The veteran broadcaster was arrested in November and charged on June 26 - although the information was only released on Monday.

The BBC yesterday confirmed it knew in November their star newsreader had been arrested but kept paying him for another five months.

Corporation chiefs, who revealed they found out that one of their highest-profile newsreaders had been questioned over child sex images in November, condemned his “abhorrent behaviour”.

The BBC continued to pay Edwards, who had been suspended in relation to different allegations but remained employed on a full salary of nearly £480,000 ($A940,000) until he quit the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.

It was revealed in the BBC’s annual report, presented last week by Director-General Tim Davie, that Edwards was the third highest-paid star from April 2023 to March this year.