BBC news presenter Huw Edwards has been named as the presenter at the centre of allegations that have gripped the British public for five days.
The presenter’s wife has released a statement confirming he is the presenter investigated by the BBC, sharing that he is currently in hospital receiving care for his mental health.
Vicky Flind said her husband only became aware of the allegations that he’d paid a teenage boy thousands of dollars for intimate photographs last week.
Details of the accusation were published in The Sun newspaper, but the specific presenter was not named. They featured an interview with the parents of the young man who alleged that a high profile BBC presenter had paid their son £35,000 (AUD$67,000) for a series of intimate images.
It was alleged the relationship with their son had begun when he was 17 and had continued over the last three years. While the age of consent in Britain is 16, taking intimate images is illegal under the age of 18. The parents alleged that the influx of cash had led their son to developing a substance abuse problem.
The story provoked a flurry of speculation on social media as people tried to predict who the story was about. Several high profile BBC presenters were forced to issue statements denying they were the presenter in question.
In the days following the publication of the story, the young man released a statement via his legal representatives denying that any illegal activity had taken place, and that this information had been provided to the newspaper ahead of the story being published. He described the report as “rubbish”.
British police have also stated that their investigations had found no evidence of any crime being committed.
Vicky Flind said her husband is expected to remain under medical care for the foreseeable future, but would address the allegations when he was able to.
“I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation.” Flind said.
Edwards presents the broadcaster’s flagship news program BBC News at Ten. To international audiences he is remembered for announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth II to the world.
Edwards and Flind have five children and he is a devout Christian who attends church weekly. He has previously spoken about his ongoing battle with severe depression, a condition he has had for over 20 years.
The Sun newspaper now appears to be backtracking on their initial story saying that their original report claiming the presenter had paid for “sordid images” was not a suggestion of any criminal activity.
The newspaper says that other media outlets had proposed that the taking of images may have constituted a crime, which led to police involvement.
“We must also re-emphasise that the Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations.” the newspaper said on Wednesday evening.
The newspaper has defended its reporting saying they were sharing the frustrations of the young man’s parents who had not found a suitable response from the police or the BBC.
OIP Staff
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