The Metropolitan Police said it has 'received initial contact' from the BBC regarding claims that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.
The presenter at the centre of the allegations is said to have first began paying for the photos when the teenager was 17, according to claims made by the mother of the teen.
The BBC announced earlier today that the TV presenter has been suspended from the channel as the broadcaster investigated the claims.
Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.
In a statement issued this evening (July 9), the Met Police said it has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to the claims. A spokesperson for the force said: "The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made. We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow."
The mother of the person sending images has claimed she was horrified to discover it was somebody she loved seeing on the BBC. In an interview with The Sun, she said: "I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.
"I immediately recognised him, he was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him. My child told me, 'I have shown things' and this was a picture from some kind of video call."
It has been alleged the man has sent a total of £35,000 to the person, with them handing over £5,000 in just one transaction for sexually explicit photographs of the teen.
The mother of the alleged victim, who is now 20, claims her child had used the thousands of pounds they received to fund a crack cocaine addiction.
The official complaint was made to the BBC by the mum on May 19. However, they have been since seen in attendance at an event alongside senior BBC executives which included champagne and a three-course meal.
The BBC has pledged to investigate the new allegations, including if the alleged behaviour happened in the workplace. Urgent talks within the corporation regarding the situation were continuing today.
A spokesman said: "We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them. If we receive information that requires further investigation or examination, we will 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 new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon."
