Met Police weighing up whether to launch criminal investigation as Rishi Sunak calls claims ‘shocking and concerning’
The BBC has paused an investigation into a suspended presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos, at the request of the Metropolitan Police.
Allegations in The Sun last week prompted an internal probe by the corporation that has now been halted “while specialist officers decide if there is any justification for a criminal investigation”, said The Guardian. Director general Tim Davie also pledged to “pass any material” on the presenter to the force.
The Sun claimed the story was based on sworn affadavits from the parents of the teen, who was allegedly paid tens of thousands of pounds over several years by the unnamed male presenter. A spokesperson for the paper said the parents contacted the BBC but “their complaint was not acted upon”.
After the corporation denied ignoring the complaint, The Sun today doubled down on its claims in a front-page article headlined: “Parents: BBC lied.”
In response, the BBC has released an updated timeline showing that the family made a complaint on 19 May but claiming that its Corporate Investigations Team could not make contact with the “complainant”.
The BBC also published excerpts from a letter sent by a lawyer representing the teen claiming the statement made the young person’s mother to The Sun was “totally wrong and there was no truth to it”. The allegations reported in the paper “are rubbish”, the letter said.
The paper has “effectively staked its reputation on the parents’ testimony being true”, said Press Gazette, and faces a “a seismic blow” to its reputation if that proves not to be the case.
As the war of words escalated, Rishi Sunak said earlier today that the allegations were “shocking” and “concerning”. Speaking en route to a Nato summit in Lithuania, the prime minister said that his culture secretary had been reassured by the BBC on Sunday that the corporation’s response would be “rigorous” and “swift”.
