Huw Edwards was emotionless in the dock today after being handed a suspended sentence for receiving sick images of children as young as seven from a convicted paedophile.
The disgraced BBC News anchor pleaded guilty to three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, said Edwards had once been ‘the best known newsreader in the UK’ but his reputation lay ‘in tatters’ as he handed him a six-month sentence suspended for two years.
He said he accepted that Edwards had no memory of which images he viewed due to a mental disorder at the time of his offending and suggested the former BBC man had been facing ‘a perfect storm’ at the time.
Mr Goldspring quoted a report by a psycho-sexual therapist who said Edwards had a risk of taking his own life and is a ‘complex individual’ due to factors in his childhood, including a complex relationship with his ‘puritanical’ father. Edwards nodded as this reference to his personal history was read out.
Earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope told the court Edwards had paid Williams amounts ‘in the low hundreds on an occasional basis… apparently off the back of sending pornographic photographs’ and that the total amounted to between ‘£1,000 to £1,500’.
Mr Hope told the court Edwards wrote ‘yes xxx’ when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose ‘age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16’. At another point, he Williams ‘go on’ when asked if he wanted ‘naughty pics and vids’ of somebody described as ‘yng (sic)’.
Edwards described some of the vile photos he had been sent as ‘amazing’ and replied ‘what do you need?’ when the paedophile asked for a ‘Christmas gift after all the hot videos’, Westminster Magistrates’ Court also heard.
Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards was ‘truly sorry’ and ‘recognises repugnant nature’ of the images sent to him. The journalist claimed alcohol and the decline in his mental health played a part in the sick chats.
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Sentencing Edwards, Paul Goldspring said: ‘Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.’
The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of ‘exemplary’ good character ‘having enjoyed a very successful career in the media’.
‘It’s obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,’ he continued, adding that Edwards was ‘perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist’.
‘It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,’ the judge said.
Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier today, prosecutor Ian Hope said: ‘It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
‘It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money – low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis – to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted.
‘Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around £1,000 to £1,500.’
Mr Hope continued: ‘From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special’.
Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to three counts of ‘making’ indecent images of children in July.
The Crown Prosecution Service says it can include:
A court must also decide whether an offence calls into the category of possession, distribution or production.
‘Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject’s age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.
‘These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis.
‘Alex Williams stated that he had ’12 videos and 42 pics I’ve sent you a video of him before’.
‘Shortly after Alex Williams asked: ‘want me to send you the full file?’ Mr Edwards responded ‘Yes xxx…’ immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.’
Williams asked Edwards for a ‘Christmas gift after all the hot videos’, the court heard.
Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but ‘the others were amazing’.
The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image.
‘Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for ‘a Christmas gift after all the hot videos’ and Mr Edwards immediately responds ‘what do you need?’,’ the prosecutor continued.
‘Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.’
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13.
Mr Hope said: ‘On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent – it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively.
‘There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as ‘read’.
‘A week later… a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children.
On February 19 2021, Williams asked ‘is the stuff I’m sending too young for you?’
‘The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying ‘don’t send underage’.’
The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked ‘read’ on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old.
Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams ‘go on’ when he was asked if he wanted ‘naughty pics and vids’ of somebody described as ‘yng (sic)’.
Mr Hope told the court: ‘In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some ‘naughty pics and vids unsure if you’d like’. Mr Edwards tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams states ‘yng (sic)’.
‘Mr Edwards again tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9…’
‘Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram.
‘Alex Williams says the subject is ‘quite yng looking’ to which Mr Edwards responds it ‘can be deceptive’ and asks if he has ‘any more?’
‘Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal.
‘Mr Edwards says ‘Ah OK don’t’ and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as ‘looks young don’t he but he’s deffo 19.’
Mounting Edwards’ defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children.
Mr Evans told the court: ‘Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him.
‘Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage.
‘He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images.
‘He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.’
Mr Evans said Edwards was ‘truly sorry’ for how he has ‘damaged his family and his loved ones’, and for committing the offences.
He told the court: ‘He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him.
‘For all of this, he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry he has committed these offences.
‘He has lost his good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way. That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him.
‘He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.’
Mr Evans went on: ‘You will have appreciated sir that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court. He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images.
‘For his part in that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people.
‘He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.’
Edwards walked into Westminster Magistrates Court this morning dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase.
He looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse flanked by his team of lawyers.
Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type.
Huw Edwards was made anchor of the BBC’s flagship 10pm news bulletin in 2003.
As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage.
But the father-of-five’s professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in The Sun that a high-profile TV star had paid a young person £35,000 for explicit images.
Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement confirming it was her husband at the centre of the scandal and that he was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and receiving ‘in-patient hospital care’.
The Met Police did not find any crime had been committed.
But in an unrelated probe, it was revealed earlier this year that Edwards had been charged with ‘making’ indecent images of children.
Edwards was first arrested in November 2023 and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts.
The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on ‘medical advice’ after 40 years with the broadcaster.
The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticised for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards.
Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police – receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was ‘quite young looking’ and that he had more images which were illegal.
Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021.
Edwards, one of the BBC’s most famous stars who presented the Queen’s death and King Charles’ coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023.
In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying £35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images.
The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance.
The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused ‘immense pain and suffering’ and should be locked up.
In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: ‘I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family – and all of your victims over the years.’
She said that her ‘heart breaks for every one’ of the young children ‘robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure’ and their families who have gone through what she has.
She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor ‘wormed’ his way into the teenager’s life from the age of 17.
The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards’ ‘pestering him for pictures’ and paying him ‘tens of thousands’.
She said Edwards ‘sent text messages calling him ‘princess’ to control him and keep him onside.’
Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: ‘That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.’
The teenager who was paid £35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt ‘groomed’ by the disgraced presenter.
Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children.
In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8, 2023 and charged on June 26, 2024.
The BBC has admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice.
Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the £200,000 salary he has received since his arrest.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will ‘explore’ the legal process if Edwards refuses.
Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday.
Regarding the disgraced presenter’s pay, Mr Davie said: ‘We’ve made the formal request, and I can’t go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I’ve got no further news, apart from the BBC’s position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.’
When asked if he set a deadline, he said: ‘I don’t believe we set a deadline… but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.’
Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had ‘damaged’ the BBC’s reputation.
He said: ‘There’s nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed.
‘I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life.
‘On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let’s never forget the victims.’
He added that he ‘knew him’, having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him ‘feel angry and betrayed’ by Edwards.
Category A images involve penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal or sadism.
Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), ‘making’ an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts.
It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic ‘pop-up’ mechanism.
Rani Govender, Child Safety Online Policy Manager at the NSPCC, said: ‘Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims.
‘Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted.
‘If anyone is sent or sees a child abuse image online they should report it immediately. The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support in this situation or if you are concerned about the safety of a young person.’
‘You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].’
March 2023
Huw Edwards signs new three-year deal with the BBC after praise for the way he led coverage of the Queen’s death.
It came after he was seen at the offices of the BBC’s biggest radio rival – Global – in August 2022. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was ‘thinking about my future’.
In June that year he would pick up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards’ special recognition award.
April 2023
Police were contacted but ‘no criminality was identified’.
May 6, 2023
Edwards hosts coverage of King Charles’ coronation as he lead the BBC broadcast of the historic event.
May 18, 2023
A family member of the young person, who was 17 at the time, made an in-person complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter.
May 19, 2023
A complainant contacted the BBC in a 29-minute call to the BBC’s audience services team, and the details were referred to the Corporate Investigations Team.
The family member reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop sending their family member cash.
The Corporate Investigations Team decided the complaint didn’t include an allegation of criminality, but merited more investigation.
The investigators email the complainant to get more information but they get no response.
June 6, 2023
After getting no reply to the email, the Corporate Investigations Team tries to call the complainant but the call does not connect.
However, the Sun reported later that the family said no one from the corporation phoned them for a proper interview after they complained.
The BBC said no more attempts to contact the family were made after this date, but that the case ‘remained open’.
July 5, 2023
Huw Edwards is seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland.
July 6, 2023
The Sun informs BBC Press Office about allegations against the star presenter.
The BBC launches an ‘incident management group’ of top executives after becoming aware of new allegations ‘of a different nature’ against the presenter.
It is the first time Mr Davie or any executive directors were made aware of the case, according to the BBC.
A senior manager holds the first conversation with the presenter concerned.
It is agreed he should not appear on air while the allegations are investigated.
July 7, 2023
The Sun published its exclusive which alleged that a BBC presenter, unnamed at the time, paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content to someone beginning when they were 17.
But a lawyer acting on behalf of the young person told The Sun that evening there was ‘no truth’ to the claims.
The BBC said it would investigate and it made contact with the Metropolitan Police.
July 8, 2023
The complainant sends the BBC ‘materials related to the complaint’.
There is a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question.
July 9, 2023
The BBC confirms that a male presenter has been suspended from all duties.
The Sun reports that the presenter allegedly made two phone calls to the young person and pleaded with them to call their mother to stop the investigation.
July 10, 2023
BBC representatives and Metropolitan Police detectives meet in the morning to discover if any crimes have been committed.
The young person claims through a lawyer that the allegations are ‘rubbish’.
In response, the Sun said it had ‘reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child’.
The parents stood by their account to the Sun and the stepfather was quoted in a story saying the allegations were originally put the the BBC ‘for an hour’.
July 11, 2023
Director-general of the BBC Tim Davie defends the delay in speaking to the BBC presenter.
But the BBC admits there were ‘lessons to be learned’ prompting a boss to assess the protocols.
In the afternoon, new claims emerged from the BBC that the presenter sent threatening messages to a second young person.
It is claimed they met on a dating app, before the conversation moved to other platforms where the presenter revealed his identity.
He then allegedly sent a number of ‘threatening messages’ to the youngster, which the BBC has seen.
The Sun reported the star is also accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old stranger from a dating site.
July 12, 2023
Huw Edwards is revealed as the BBC presented by his wife Vicky Flind.
She said he was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’.
The bombshell revelation came just moments after the police said they were ‘taking no further action’ in the case.
But BBC boss Mr Davie sent an email to staff informing them that an internal investigation would continue even though police were no longer involved.
The BBC reported fresh allegations from two current junior members of staff and one former member of staff who claim they were sent messages that made them uncomfortable.
July 12, 2023
Mr Davie asked for a second review of the BBC’s complaints protocols after it was revealed the family were only contacted twice by the corporation – despite the seriousness of the allegations.
November 8, 2023
Edwards is arrested, but tells noone.
Later speaking to , one shocked former colleague and friend said: ‘Huw kept his arrest completely secret’.
They added: ‘It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged.’
February 27, 2024
The BBC apologised to the young person’s family, who’d complained about Edwards two months before he was suspended.
An independent report by Deloitte is published into the BBC’s complaints handling procedure
The publicly-funded broadcaster acknowledged that there had been ‘shortcomings’ in the way it had dealt with the case as it reviewed its complaints procedures.
April, 2024
Edwards took sanctuary in his beloved Wales and was being comforted in Carmarthenshire by his mother Aerona.
April 22, 2024
Edwards resigns from the BBC.
Broadcasting executive Stewart Purvis CBE said there is ‘relief across the BBC’ that the ‘extraordinarily damaging saga’ has been resolved.
He added that Edwards having ‘walked from the BBC’ will be viewed as ‘quite a successful outcome’ for the corporation.
June 26, 2024
Edwards is charged with the possession of indecent images of children.
Interrupting coverage of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement in the House of Commons, the BBC announced the breaking news on July 29.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp.
July 23, 2024
The BBC’s annual report reveals Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming.
This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and £439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.
This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024.
But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care.
The BBC confirmed at the time of his departure that he had not received a pay-off and was leaving ‘on the basis of medical advice from his doctors’.
Director general Tim Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming there was ‘no settlement payment.’ He also said he was not going to ‘get into who’s spoken to who’ when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.
July 31, 2024
Edwards pleads guilty to making 41 indecent images of children – and faces jail.
The newscaster admitted he kept seven category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by a paedophile.
The sick child porn images showed youngsters aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He remained emotionless as he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, between December 2020 and August 2022.
His admission now leaves the former news star’s glittering four-decade career in tatters.
September 16, 2024
Edwards is sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.