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Huw Edwards faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children – including two sexual videos of a boy as young as seven.
The former BBC News at Ten anchor, 62, admitted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to having 41 indecent images of children on his phone, seven of which were category A, the very worst kind.
Also among the 377 sexual images discovered by police – sent to him by 25-year-old convicted paedophile Alex Williams from Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, between December 2020 and August 2021 – were 12 category B images, and 22 category C images.
Five of the category A images featured children aged between 13 and 15, while at least two were moving images that depicted a child believed to be “between seven and nine”, the court was told.
On an extraordinary day:
- Edwards admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children
- It emerged he possessed 377 sexual images on his phone, including seven of the very worst kind
- The corporation admitted it knew Edwards had been arrested “for a serious offence” in November
- His barrister said his client had “both mental and physical” health issues at the time of the offences
- He now faces up to 10 years in prison when he returns for sentencing in six weeks
The veteran news broadcaster, who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II and led the coverage of her funeral, is now a convicted paedophile with a four-decade career in tatters and the prospect of a 10-year prison sentence in front of him.
Dressed in a navy blue suit and wearing dark sunglasses, Edwards arrived surrounded by a police escort to chaotic scenes on Wednesday morning, with protesters shouting as he made his way through the media scrum into the building.
Standing in the dock, he spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and address before calmly stating his guilty pleas at the start of the 26-minute hearing.
Ian Hope, prosecuting, told the court that the bulk of the depraved images were sent during a two-month period, with most being sent over two days in December 2020.
Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, was emotionless after pleading guilty to the charges and sat staring into the distance, with his head tilted slightly upwards.
Speaking in Edwards’s defence, his barrister Philip Evans K said: “There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr Edwards has … in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.
“It is important also to remember for context that devices, Mr Edwards’s devices, have been seized, have been searched, and there’s nothing in those devices.
“It is only the images that are the subject of the charges that came via a WhatsApp chat. Mr Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else.”
The court also acknowledged concern over Edwards’s physical and mental health. Mr Evans KC said that medical reports show that there are “serious issues in relation to Mr Edwards’s health, both mental and physical, both at the time of offending and now”.
He faces up to 10 years in prison but Mr Evans called for the court to consider a suspended sentence.
Edwards was bailed and will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.
Meanwhile, in a remarkable admission, the BBC admitted it knew Edwards had been arrested in November 2023 for “serious offences”.
A statement from the broadcaster said: “In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation.
“At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.”
Questions will now be asked as to why he remained among the highest-paid BBC employees, in a pay bracket of £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023-24, despite the arrest.
A BBC spokesperson added: “There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.”
