Muhammad Jamal wrote on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 08:42 PM
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has announced the suspension of presenter Huw Edwards, due to his involvement in paying a minor “whose identity has not been identified” in exchange for sexual images, the BBC reported.
BBC Director General Tim Davy confirmed, in an email to staff, that the presenter had been suspended.
In a statement, the foundation said it was working as quickly as possible to “establish the facts in order to properly inform the appropriate next steps.”
This came after British Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser held urgent talks with Tim Davy about the accusations.
Davey assured the minister that the authority is investigating these allegations “quickly and thoroughly.”
The accusations, which were first revealed by the British newspaper “The Sun”, include that the minor’s family lodged a complaint about the broadcaster’s practices with the BBC last May.
The BBC confirmed that the broadcaster would not appear on air again in the near future, and that it became aware of the complaint in May.
“Given the nature of the allegations, it is important that the BBC is given ample space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action,” Minister Fraser said on Twitter, adding that she would be kept “up-to-date”.
The boy’s mother told the Sun newspaper last Sunday that he was 17 when he started getting paid from the broadcaster, and “usually used the money to buy cocaine”.
She added that had this money continued to arrive, the child, who is now 20 years old, would have “ended up dead”. According to the newspaper, the total amount paid, along with the money, amounted to 35 thousand pounds sterling.
The mother also said that the image of the presenter in his underwear, which was published by The Sun newspaper last Saturday, was taken from a video call with the child.
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2023-07-12 17:42:00
