UPDATE
Jul 31, 2024 9:13 AM CDT
Famed journalist Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to making indecent photos of children. The 62-year-old former BBC presenter admitted to all three counts against him Wednesday after he was swarmed upon arrival at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court. Prosecutors said he received 41 images and videos from an adult male on WhatsApp. One video allegedly featured a child as young as 7, NBC News reports. "There is no suggestion in this case that Mr. Edwards has in any way made, in the traditional sense of the word, any images in any physical way or created any images of any sort," his lawyer said. He is to be sentenced Sept. 16.
Jul 30, 2024 10:25 AM CDT
Huw Edwards, who was until this year the BBC's "most high-profile and best-paid news anchor," has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children. "One of the most recognized faces in British television news," per CNN, Edwards anchored the BBC's flagship evening newscast and led coverage of major events, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III's coronation, until leaving the broadcaster in April. The father of five resigned on medical advice from his doctors. The notice came less than a year after he was accused of paying a young person for sexual photos beginning when the individual was 17, per People, though police at the time said there was no evidence of a crime.
In announcing the charges Monday, London's Metropolitan Police said the 62-year-old Edwards was arrested Nov. 8, 2023, and charged on June 26, per the BBC. "The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat," police said, per the New York Times, warning the media and public against publishing information "which could prejudice future court proceedings."
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Edwards allegedly possessed "six category A images, the most serious classification of indecent images, on a phone," per the BBC. Category A images reportedly include explicit material involving penetration, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism. Edwards is also accused of having 12 category B images, related to non-penetrative sexual activity, and 19 category C images, involving erotic posing. The Crown Prosecution Service notes making indecent images "can include opening an email attachment containing such an image, downloading one from a website, or receiving one via social media, even if unsolicited." Edwards has posted bail and is due in court on Wednesday, per the BBC. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, per CNN. (More child sexual abuse material stories.)
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