KEY POINTS
- Williams was initially arrested in August 2022 but released on bail as South Wales police continued their investigation.
- His parents confirmed that their son is no longer living with them - and denied having any knowledge that he was a sex offender.
The identity of the pedophile who shared sickening child images with Huw Edwards has been revealed as Alex Williams, a 25-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil. Williams shared 41 indecent images with the disgraced former BBC presenter via a private WhatsApp chat, two of which included a boy as young as seven.
Williams was initially arrested in August 2022 but was released on bail as South Wales police continued their investigation. He was charged in December 2023 and appeared in court in January this year. After pleading guilty to possessing and distributing category A, B, and C images, as well as possessing prohibited images of children, Williams was sentenced in March at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
Williams' parents have confirmed that their son is no longer living with them and denied having any knowledge that he was a sex offender. Distancing themselves from Williams, they told reporters they had not seen him for up to four months and that he's "no longer living to them". His grandmother, who was also unaware of his conviction, claims that he has been working in Cardiff after graduating from university in the city two years ago.
The Extent of the Crime: Unveiling the Horrors
In total, Williams shared 377 images with Edwards, 41 of which were indecent and formed the charges to which the veteran broadcaster pleaded guilty. Appearing in court, Edwards pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2022. The court was told that seven of the indecent images shared with the broadcaster by Williams were classified as category A, the most severe type.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that their investigation into Edwards began in November after South Wales police passed them information. The Welsh force, as part of their investigation into Williams, discovered he had forwarded indecent images of children to the BBC presenter. When the accusations surfaced last year, the BBC initially suspended Edwards.
However, the Metropolitan Police subsequently stated that no criminal offence had occurred at that time. The situation escalated when Edwards was charged with making indecent images of children, a scandal that has significantly tarnished his career and personal life.
In April 2024, Edwards resigned after claims surfaced that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos. His resignation marked the end of an era for one of the BBC's most prominent figures.
BBC's Response and Controversy: Handling the Scandal
Meanwhile, the BBC faces questions over their handling of the scandal. The national broadcaster said in a statement after Edwards' court appearance that it was informed in November that Edwards had been arrested on suspicion of "serious offences." The corporation added, "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."
Jeremy Vine has called on the BBC to clarify if Huw Edwards was asked if he was guilty at the time the corporation was informed of his arrest for making indecent images of children. Furthermore, two whistleblowers who provided evidence to the BBC internal inquiry into Huw Edwards have criticised how it was handled. A staff member who revealed they had received flirtatious private messages sent by the presenter said they were "disappointed" not to have heard more about the inquiry's progress.
A second whistleblower, who claimed Edwards sent suggestive messages alongside a picture of his hotel suite in Windsor at the time of Prince Philip's funeral, commented that it felt like "things have been swept under the carpet."
