HUW Edwards should pay back his salary to the BBC following his conviction over child sex images, the Culture Secretary has said.
The disgraced broadcaster, 62, is said to have received around £200,000 from the BBC despite his arrest in November.
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He was one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters, with a salary range of between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24.
At the time of his arrest in November, Edwards was already suspended from the BBC in relation to a number of charges.
But he remained one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters, with a full salary of almost £480,000, until he left the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.
However, Lisa Nandy today said Edwards should pay back the salary, adding it is “not a good use of taxpayers’ money”.
She said Sky News: “I think he should give his salary back.
“I think having him arrested on such serious charges in November and continuing to receive this salary until he resigned is wrong and not a good use of taxpayers’ money.
“I think most people in the country will agree with that, but it’s up to him whether he does it or not.”
Her comments came after she called director general Tim Davie to explain why the BBC continued to pay Edwards after his arrest.
When asked about the meeting, Nandy added: “We had a very robust and frank discussion about the circumstances of the case and some of the decisions that were made during that case and also since then.
“Obviously, I’m particularly concerned about making sure people have confidence in the BBC.
“I think the director-general started well yesterday by being as open and transparent as possible with the public, both about what the BBC knew, but also about why it made the decision it did, and also about its use of government money. taxpayers, which is obviously important to a lot of people.”
However, Davie admitted it was “impossible” to get the money back.
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.”
Meanwhile, Ms Nandy also appeared to suggest that some findings from the internal investigation into Edwards should be made public.
She said: “I think we all recognize that there is a lot of work to do, to get more information into the public domain, to reassure people, not just about the decisions that have been made, but also about the actions that the BBC will take. moving forward
“My concern is to ensure that warning signs are picked up, that complaints are addressed, that public money is used well and to ensure, as far as humanly possible, that we do not have a repeat of this situation in the future.”
BBC tormented by pedos
and attacked up to 450 young people, with the police registering 31 rape complaints against him.
His crimes date back to 1955 and allegations included abuse of seriously ill children and necrophilia.
Jonathan King, BBC presenter and music manager, was jailed for seven years in 2001 for molesting five teenagers in the 1980s.
Thick of It actor Chris Langham was jailed for ten months in 2007 for downloading images and videos of child sexual abuse.
It’s a Knockout star Stuart Hall got 30 months in 2013 for indecent assaults on young girls.
Original Radio 1 presenter Chris Denning was jailed for 13 years in 2014 for abusing 26 boys from 1967 to 1987, and received another 13-year sentence two years later.
He also served prison time in the 1980s for assaulting young boys.
And shamed presenter Rolf Harris was jailed for five and a half years in 2014 for molesting four girls, including a seven-year-old.
Edwards faces the prospect of prison after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children on Wednesday.
He received videos of sexual abuse of children up to the age of seven on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
But BBC staff are furious at the corporation’s handling of the scandal.
A note signed by senior management, including Davie, chief executive Deborah Turness and chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva, distributed to BBC staff this week, caused further furore.
It said: “Many of you will have seen that Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
“We are shocked by this news – there can be no place for such behavior.
“Some of you may be shocked and saddened by this news and will have worked closely with Huw Edwards over the years.
“Many of you will be working on this story and we want to thank you for your professionalism in continuing your work under difficult circumstances.”
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