BBC sacks top host who is accused of paying $45k to a teen for sexually explicit photos

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said in an announcement this week that top presenter Huw Edwards has been fired on the heels of reports he illegally paid tens of thousands of dollars to a teen for sexually explicit photographs.

Allegations against Edwards, who had a distinguished career of nearly 40 years that included significant moments such as announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth on the network, were initially reported by The Sun over the weekend. In their article, The Sun referred to Edwards as a “familiar face who is known to millions,” without immediately revealing his identity, Infowars reported on Thursday.

“The Sun said it spoke to the family of the child, now aged 20, which claimed Edwards had paid their child upwards of £35,000 ($45,400 USD) over the span of three years for lewd photos and sexual performances, which the child used to fund a crack cocaine addiction,” the outlet noted further.

The Sun added:

The furious mother told last night how her child had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years.

They approached The Sun, making it clear they wanted no payment.

The mother said: “All I want is for this man to stop paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child’s drug habit.”

She told how her child, now 20, had shown her an online bank statement that had numerous deposits from the star.

Holding back tears, she added: “There were huge sums, hundreds, or thousands of pounds at a time. 

“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child,” she added.

The family went on to say that Edwards never hid who he was and even sent the girl pictures of himself at work.

She noted that the star presenter requested “performances” from her daughter, and the teen admitted they would “get their bits out.”

The family brought the claims to the attention of the BBC seven weeks ago, and the network acknowledged that they would be investigated. Despite the allegations, Edwards continued to appear on air during this time.

The speculation surrounding the unnamed “household name” prompted numerous BBC presenters to publicly address the situation in order to clear their own names from any potential association with the allegations, Infowars noted further.

In response to The Sun‘s report on Saturday, the BBC took action by suspending Huw Edwards. Additionally, the UK government instructed the network to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the claims.

On Wednesday, the BBC confirmed that Edwards was indeed the individual in question and announced his dismissal. The BBC further revealed that at least three of Edwards’ colleagues had made allegations of “inappropriate behavior” against him.

Following the news, Edwards’ wife, Vicky Flind, noted publicly that he suffers “from serious mental health issues” and “has been treated for severe depression in recent years.”

“In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children,” she said.

“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future,” she added.

“Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday. In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected. I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end,” Flind noted further.

Sources include:

Infowars.com

TheSun.co.uk