If Huw Edwards had any dignity he’d give his salary back, slams ex-colleague as fury over disgraced BBC star rages

IF Huw Edwards had any dignity he would give his salary back, his former colleague has criticized.

News at Ten anchor and “BBC guy” Edwards pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children yesterday.

3

3

The BBC confirmed it knew in November that its top broadcaster had been jailed over child sex images – but continued paying him for another five months.

Edwards, who had been suspended in relation to a number of allegations, remained employed on a full salary of almost £480,000 until he left the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.

Former BBC broadcaster and royal correspondent Jennie Bond said Edwards should now pay back his six-figure salary.

In a debate on the Jeremy Vine show, Bond said: “Frankly, I think if Huw still has any dignity left, then he would give some of the money back.

“Certainly the £200,000 he has made since his arrest. I think it would be nice of him to do that.

“I don’t think there is any legal recourse for the BBC. And I also think we need to remember that the BBC as a whole is being tarnished.”

Bond added: “In terms of reputation, this is very, very damaging, of course.

“But you and I both know, Jeremy, that the newsroom, the news division, is rightly and happily quite separate from the Corporation itself.

“I know it’s a pretty difficult distinction for people to make, but we in the news division question, without fear or favor, BBC bosses and that’s entirely right.

“So in the newsroom itself, they were in the dark until this week, which is extraordinary.”

She added: “It is all extremely painful, unpleasant and sad for everyone involved.

“But in all this we must not forget a point that my colleague, another presenter, Nicky Campbell, has been making.

“At the center of all this are children, children who have not only been subjected to pornography, as it is called, but also child abuse.

“I think that’s what we should be talking about, as much as who said what on the BBC.”

Tonight, BBC boss Tim Davie admitted he knew Huw Edwards’ arrest was at the most serious level of sexual abuse photos – but still kept paying.

In an interview with BBC News this evening, the corporation’s Director General said he had made “difficult decisions fairly and judiciously”.

Former BBC news anchor Edwards, 62, yesterday admitted receiving a series of child sex images – including sex videos of a boy as young as seven.

Seven of the 41 images fall into Category A – the most serious classification. Another 12 images were grouped as Category B and 19 as Category C.

Edwards received the photos on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.

The BBC was told in November that its top newsreader had been jailed over child sex images – but continued paying him for another five months.

Edwards – who had been suspended in relation to separate allegations – remained employed on a full salary of almost £480,000 until he left the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.

Davie confirmed this evening that the Beeb knew Huw had committed “serious” crimes but had no knowledge of the ages of the children involved – nor what category they fell into.

He said: “We knew it was serious, we didn’t know details, other than the category of potential crimes.”

“With regards to the decision we made in November, we obviously faced a difficult decision and we considered it very carefully.

“The police came to us and gave us information that they had arrested Mr. Edwards.

“But they wanted to make sure there was complete trust, and the reason they called us at that time was a technical process to make sure employees were protected and there was no risk.”

He added: “Another factor at this time was the very significant duty of care considerations. I think it was right for us to say we would let the police do their job and then when charges come in, we will act.”

Davie also appealed for Edwards to return part of his salary and give up his pension.

He said: “No one likes to see this situation. But unfortunately these are the specifics of how it works.

“We cannot recover the pension – it is very difficult, almost impossible.

“I think when it comes to payment – ​​again, it’s a legal challenge, but we will look at all options.”

Davie said the BBC “wasn’t thinking of anything that I thought we needed to share with the police, or that was of a serious nature that would make me feel we hadn’t followed up properly”.

He added: “I can categorically say that when it comes to the crimes we have seen, which are truly horrific, any evidence that is out there is not in the hands of the BBC.

“If I saw evidence of that, it wouldn’t be a complicated decision.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it informed the BBC in “strict confidence” about Huw Edwards’ arrest in November, before he resigned from the force in April.

A statement from the force said: “The Met has informed the BBC governance department that Huw Edwards had been arrested on 8 November 2023.

“Common law police disclosure (CLPD) is the established legal mechanism through which the police can inform an individual’s employer when they are arrested or accused of having committed a crime.

“It is often used when the individual occupies a position of trust/responsibility with the public.

“The information is provided in strict confidence in order to allow the individual’s employer to consider what risk mitigation measures may be necessary.”

Davie was today called in by the Culture Secretary for an urgent explanation of his handling of the Huw Edwards scandal.

News at Ten anchor and “face of the BBC” Edwards yesterday pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children – and will face a maximum sentence of 10 years when he is sentenced on September 16.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told that seven of the 41 images fall into Category A – the most serious classification.

They included two moving images of a boy, possibly aged between seven and nine.

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

Edwards chatted online with convicted pedophile Alex Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.

During this period, the pedo sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.

Police investigating Williams’ crimes seized a phone which revealed a WhatsApp conversation involving Edwards.