THE Metropolitan Police has said it is undertaking further enquiries after meeting the BBC about allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images, but added there was no investigation under way.
The corporation met with the police on Monday and confirmed a male member of staff had been suspended on Sunday evening, while The Sun reported that the presenter at the centre of the allegations made “panicked” calls to the young person last week.
The newspaper said the presenter allegedly asked “What have you done?”, adding that it is claimed he asked them to ring their mother to get her to “stop the investigation”.
The BBC has said it had been investigating a complaint since May, when it was first made aware, and that new allegations of a “different nature” were brought to it on Thursday.
As well as being in touch with the police, the corporation is carrying out its own inquiries and talking to the young person’s family.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, the police said: "Further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed."
A spokesperson added: "There is no investigation at this time."
It is understood officers from the Specialist Crime Command are working to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence.
BBC director-general Tim Davie is due to face the media on Tuesday for a scheduled briefing following the release of the corporation’s annual report, but the growing crisis involving the unnamed presenter will dominate the event.
Davie has said he is “wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent” after a host of famous BBC faces were forced to publicly state they are not the individual in question amid heavy speculation about the identity on social media.
In a note sent to staff and seen by the PA news agency, Davie said the corporation takes “all such allegations incredibly seriously”.
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May.
“New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and, in addition to our own inquiries, we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.”
