The BBC has resumed its internal investigation into the presenter Huw Edwards after the police concluded that the News at Ten presenter had no criminal case to answer over allegations he had paid a young individual for explicit images.
A spokesperson for the BBC said it would focus on “fact finding”, with the corporation also likely to consider separate allegations of potential workplace misconduct that are not of a criminal nature.
The BBC said the focus would be on ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts while “continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved”.
Edwards was named as the suspended BBC presenter on Wednesday by his wife, the television producer Vicky Flind. She ended days of speculation by confirming her husband was the man in question and said he was in hospital seeking treatment for mental health issues.
As part of its internal investigation, the BBC is likely to consider fresh allegations made by BBC News, which has deployed its investigative reporting team to look into Edwards, and the BBC’s Newsnight programme. They have reported claims that Edwards made young BBC staff feel uncomfortable through his use of messaging apps.
Many BBC staff strongly doubt Edwards will ever be able to resume his career at the broadcaster, where he is the fourth-highest paid on-screen star, making £435,000 a year. One possibility is that the internal BBC investigation finds he has a case to answer under the terms of his contract, even if his actions were not illegal.
The Sun said it would not run any further allegations against Edwards but had handed over a “dossier” of unpublished material gathered by its reporters “containing serious and wide-ranging allegations which we have received, including some from BBC personnel”.
Yet questions remain for the paper over the collapse of its original allegation that Edwards had bought explicit images from a 17-year-old, a potentially criminal offence. The newspaper now insists it never meant to allege criminal activity took place and that suggestions of a criminal prosecution were created by other media outlets who misinterpreted its reporting. This is despite the Sun publishing its own story on how Edwards could face “years in prison”.
Edwards also used his Twitter account to like a tweet suggesting the Sun could now “face the mother of all libel actions”.
The episode has left one of British television’s most famous faces “suffering from serious mental health issues” and “receiving inpatient hospital care, where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future”, his wife said in a statement on Wednesday.
Flind said the allegations had “greatly worsened matters” for Edwards, who had had severe depression in recent years. She added that he would respond to the allegations when well enough, adding that he was “deeply sorry” that colleagues had been dragged into the story.
The Sun alleged in a front-page story that the presenter had paid a young person, now aged 20, for photographs. The tabloid suggested this had started when the individual was 17 – a potentially serious criminal offence.
Officers at Scotland Yard have now concluded there is no evidence to support this allegation, leaving the Sun facing questions about its reporting. South Wales police also believes there is no criminal case to answer.
The young person’s lawyer allegedly told the Sun last week that the story was “rubbish” and no illegal activity took place, although the tabloid did not publish this denial until Monday night.
On Wednesday night, the Sun denied its article ever alleged criminality had taken place, saying: “Suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC.”
It added that it would “cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process” into the issue and provide “a confidential and redacted dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations … including some from BBC personnel”.
Leading BBC journalists and former colleagues rallied around Edwards after he was named. John Simpson, the veteran world affairs editor, wrote: “I feel so sorry for everyone involved in this: for the Edwards family, for the complainants, and for Huw himself. No criminal offences were committed, so it’s a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let’s hope the press leave them all alone now.”
The broadcaster Jon Sopel, formerly the BBC’s North America editor, described the situation as “awful and shocking” and hit out at some of the reaction to the claims.
A former editor of the Sun, David Yelland, said the newspaper had “inflicted terror” on Edwards and now faced a “crisis”.
Flind, who has five children with Edwards, said in a statement: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband, Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental wellbeing and to protect our children.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving inpatient hospital care, where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
“Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear, Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.
“In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.
“I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end.”
