The BBC’s Broadcasting Household in London, England, on July 10, 2023.
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LONDON — The BBC’s Huw Edwards has been named by his wife as the Tv anchor accused of having to pay a teenager much more than £35,000 (close to $45,430) in trade for sexually specific pictures.
In accordance to a report in The Sun newspaper last 7 days, citing the alleged victim’s mom, the payments are alleged to have commenced when their baby was 17 — they are now 20.
Following five disaster-ridden days for the British broadcaster, the spouse of the formerly unnamed Television anchor unveiled a statement to the PA information company.
“In light of the latest reporting pertaining to the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am creating this statement on behalf of my spouse Huw Edwards, after what have been 5 really challenging days for our loved ones,” Vicky Flind stated.
“I am performing this largely out of worry for his psychological effectively-becoming and to guard our small children … Huw is struggling from significant psychological well being challenges. As is properly documented, he has been addressed for intense melancholy in new several years.”
She extra that her spouse Edwards experienced “suffered yet another critical episode and is now receiving in-client clinic care.”
“As soon as well adequate to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been printed,” Flind additional.
The tale designed before this week, when the BBC claimed that a lawyer for the young human being had contacted it to say that the allegations designed by the latter’s mom ended up “garbage” and that “nothing at all inappropriate or illegal” experienced took place.
In a reaction to a request for comment on the BBC’s tale, The Solar referred CNBC to its recent reporting on the matter and a previous statement issued by a spokesperson for the newspaper.
“We have noted a tale about two very worried dad and mom who made a complaint to the BBC about the conduct of a presenter and the welfare of their kid,” the statement stated.
“Their criticism was not acted upon by the BBC,” it included. “We have seen proof that supports their issues. It really is now for the BBC to thoroughly look into.”
Edwards was suspended and was taken off air soon after the news broke very last 7 days. New allegations about the anchor’s habits from other people today have ongoing to arise since The Sun’s unique tale was printed on July 7.
BBC newsreader Huw Edwards
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For its component, the BBC claims it experienced “been requested to pause its investigations into the allegations although the Police scope potential function.” On Wednesday afternoon, just right before Edwards was named by his wife, London’s Metropolitan Police reportedly concluded there was “no facts to indicate that a prison offence has been fully commited.”
Timeline of significant developments
The BBC directed CNBC to a timeline of functions on its web page when contacted for remark.
In response to the complainant getting in touch with BBC Audience Services on Might 19, the BBC claims its Company Investigations Team designed an evaluation “that on the foundation of the details furnished it did not include things like an allegation of criminality, but even so merited further more investigation.”
The BBC stated it attempted to contact the complainant in May possibly and June, but did not acquire a reaction.
The Solar then approached the broadcaster on July 6. In accordance to the BBC, the paper’s statements “contained new allegations” and it was on this day that the Tv anchor was produced knowledgeable of them.
The BBC created get hold of with the complainant and law enforcement on July 7, with affirmation of the anchor’s suspension coming on July 9.
Speculation and the regulation
The reports had led to extreme speculation on social media about who the anchor was, with a range of large-profile BBC stars publicly distancing on their own from the allegations as a end result.
Alongside the gravity of the allegations currently being made, there are also possibly major penalties when it will come to rules on defamation and privateness.
“People today who article allegations about any person, which include the BBC presenters whose names have been linked with these allegations, do facial area individual liability for those people posts,” Matthew Gill, a senior affiliate and media disputes lawyer at London-primarily based legislation business Howard Kennedy, explained to CNBC.
“And if people posts ended up to trigger BBC presenters reputational hurt and the allegations have been identified to be untrue — possibly in relation to the presenter at the center of this, or other folks who have no link to it — the man or woman who tweets people tweets, or posts those people posts on social media … could facial area lawful motion,” he included.
They may also, Gill defined, “be purchased to spend substantial damages and costs.”
“Now, the actuality is that an particular person is not likely to deal with authorized proceedings if they tweet the identify of a celeb the moment on-line in relation to these allegations,” he explained. This was because, “frankly, so lots of men and women have posted these types of allegations on line in excess of the past couple of times.”
“Nevertheless, the superstars who are not associated with … these allegations but have been linked to it on the internet may well take into account bringing proceedings, for example, towards the initially men and women to have described their title online,” Gill said.
They could also just take action “towards persons who have determined to build a marketing campaign of trying to link the mistaken presenters to these allegations.”