The BBC said it takes “any allegations very seriously” following reports that a “well-known presenter” has been taken off air over clams he paid a teenager for explicit pictures.
Reports stated that the unnamed BBC star has been accused of paying a teenager more than £35,000 in exchange for sexual images.
Neither the individual or the teenager, who was said to be 17 when the payments began, were identified.
According to The Sun, the teen’s family complained to the BBC on May 19.
The mother of the youth, now aged 20, said she had seen bank accounts showing the money, including a lump sum of £5,000.
She went on to claim the her child had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in three years.
“When I see him on telly, I feel sick,” the alleged recipient’s mother said. “I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.
“Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”
In response to the report, a BBC spokesperson said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
“As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.
“That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
“If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”
