The mum of a teenager who allegedly sent nude photos to a well-known BBC star says she "instantly recognised" the presenter when shown a screenshot of a video call he held with the youngster.
The broadcaster says it has suspended the male TV host over claims he paid over £35,000 to the teen for sexually explicit photos. While he has not been named, a number of BBC presenters have taken to social media to deny that they are the star in question.
The Mirror reports that the mother of the teen, who is now 20 years old, recognised the star in the screenshot, as he sat in his underwear "getting ready" for the child to "perform" on the video call. She told The Sun on Sunday her child had used the cash to fund a crack cocaine addiction.
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."
The mum submitted a complaint to the BBC in May but went to the papers after the corporation reportedly did not act on her concerns. However, just weeks later, the figure at the centre of the allegations was reportedly partying with fellow stars at a swanky event alongside senior executives.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, a guest said: "If this man was aware of what was hanging over him, he certainly didn't show it." The staffer had initially been taken off air but has now been suspended.
In a statement released on Sunday, the broadcaster said: "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations. This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.
"It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care. We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.
"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 enquiries, 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."
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