The BBC has admitted it knew in November that one of its top presenters Huw Edwards had been arrested on suspicion of “serious offences”, five months before he resigned.
On Wednesday the former News at Ten presenter admitted to receiving indecent images of children.
In a statement following his court appearance, the BBC said that Edwards would have been sacked had he been charged over receiving indecent images while still working for the corporation, adding that it was “shocked” at his “abhorrent behaviour”.
The shamed newsreader, 62, is facing a possible jail sentence after pleading guilty at Westminster magistrates court to three criminal charges relating to 41 illegal images of a child found on a WhatsApp chat.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today.
“There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.
“The police have confirmed that the charges are not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC in the summer of 2023, nevertheless in the interests of transparency we think it important to set out some points about events of the last year.
“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.
“Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court. If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC.
“During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions. We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’ actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
An internal note sent to BBC staff, co-signed by senior management, said they were “appalled” by the Huw Edwards news.
The note, seen by the PA news agency, was co-signed by the corporation’s director general Tim Davie, Deborah Turness, chief executive, BBC News & Current Affairs and group chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva.
The co-signed note to staff ended saying: “Some of you may feel shocked and saddened by this news and some of you 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 carrying on with your jobs in difficult circumstances”.
The note ended saying if staff had “been affected in any way by today’s news please do make full use of our wellbeing resources”, which include the “free, confidential employee assistance programme and the BBC’s peer support network”.
In the dock on Wednesday, Edwards spoke to confirm his identity before repeating the word ‘guilty’ three times.
The court heard Edwards received the illegal pictures from another man via WhatsApp in 2020 and 2021, among a cache of legal pornography.
Two of the videos send to Edwards and opened by the News at Ten host involved serious sexual offending against children aged between seven and nine-years-old, the court heard.
Other material is believed to involve children aged from 12 to 15.
Edwards is set to be sentenced in September, when he will put forward evidence of mental and physical health struggles as mitigation.
He arrived at court wearing a dark blue suit, pale blue tie, and donning Ray Ban sunglasses, and was ushered into the building by a team of eight waiting Metropolitan Police officers.
He made no comment as he was escorted past the banks of waiting photographers, together with protesters brandishing anti-BBC placards, and was silent again as he left court.
It was reported on Tuesday that Edwards has split from his TV producer wife Vicky Flind and is now living away from the family home.
“Mr Edwards engaged in online chat with an adult male who contacted Mr Edwards by social media”, said prosecutor Ian Hope.
He said a chat thread on WhatsApp was found on Edward’s phone, with the other man “sending still and moving pornographic images to Mr Edwards”.
Mr Hope said it is “clear” Edwards wanted to receive the images, and among 377 pictures and videos there were 41 involving children.
“The male queried whether stuff he was sending was ‘too young’, to which Mr Edwards responded telling the male not to send him under age.
“From this point, in February 2021, a further five indecent images of children were sent to Mr Edwards and read or opened by him within the chat.”
When the other man sent a video and told Edwards the person involved was “quite young looking”, and Edwards again said to “not send him illegal images”, the court heard.
Mr Hope told the hearing that “two moving images within seven category A (most serious) images have a younger child”, and confirmed police believe the child’s age is between seven and nine years old.
“The maximum sentence is ten years”, he added.
Philip Evans KC, for Edwards, told the court: “He didn’t keep the images, he didn’t send to anyone else.
“He hasn’t sought any similar images from anywhere else.”
He added that Edwards will say he was suffering from mental and physical health difficulties “both at the time of the offending and now”.
Edwards, who gave his address to the court in Allfarthing Lane in Wandsworth, was first arrested on November 8, 2023 over images allegedly found on a WhatsApp chat, and was charged on June 26 this year.
The Metropolitan Police, which carried out the investigation, and the Crown Prosecution Service which authorised the charges, made no public announcement of the criminal case being brought against Edwards.
A senior police officer is reported to have phoned BBC management on Monday to tip them off about the case, as it was about to appear on magistrates court listings.
Edwards, who appeared at court on bail, resigned from his BBC newsreader role in April after allegations about his personal life were published in The Sun newspaper.
The scandal involving Edwards began last summer when it was said he had paid £35,000 to a teenager in exchange for sexual images.
Scotland Yard said at the time that it did not believe anything illegal had taken place in relation to those claims.
The BBC commissioned an investigation into its complaints policies and processes, and in February this year it issued an apology to the family of the young person involved.
The corporation said an initial complaint about Edwards had not been properly logged, so that it would be seen by senior management.
When the scandal first broke, Edwards disappeared from screens and his wife issued a statement saying he was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and was receiving hospital care.
In four decades at the corporation, he was among the broadcaster’s most recognisable faces, leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023.
He also headlined coverage of other major events on the BBC, including the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
Before he stepped down, the father-of-five was the BBC's highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24, according to the corporation’s annual report.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring adjourned the case until September 16, and ordered a probation report to consider his risk of re-offending, the possibility of prison, and Edwards’ suitability for a sex offender treatment programme.
Edwards is expected to return to court for the next hearing, when he may be sentenced or the case sent to the Crown Court to be dealt with.
He was freed on bail, with restrictions on his use of the internet.
Claire Brinton of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Accessing indecent images of underage people perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, which has deep, long-lasting trauma on these victims.
“The CPS and the Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal material involving children via WhatsApp.
“This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside with the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.”
