BBC Scandal - Huw Edwards formally suspended over payment of explicit images of teenager Read OP*

As far as I know, it's not clear if money changed hands or in what circumstances it changed hands. It could have been blackmail, for example. Or a totally consensual exchange between adults.

Police have said there was no crime so the bit about the bloke being under 18 and buying pictures must have been ruled out. Can't say much more at this stage, as far as I know.

Ah sure stop. The Sun and the other murdock media have been trying to get rid of the BBC for decades. This story has been a total success for them. They just want ro get rid of the competition so all the news is presented at the level of football rivalry.

Whatever happens, let's not pretend this story is about safeguarding children. It's almost entirely a free hit at the BBC.

As far as I can see, the BBC did what they were supposed to do. They suspended the presenter, did a bit of an investigation themselves to see if there was anything to it and handed it off to the police as soon as they knew there was a serious concern. Police have said there wasn't anything illegal so the BBC erred on the side of caution, which seems appropriate.

Lee Anderson is an absolute bottom feeder. Playing to the least informed part of society. He deals almost entirely in knee-jerk reaction at the emotional level. I doubt he had criticised the tory party for its handling of sex abuse allegations. Not dealing with 'Pincher by name Pincher by nature' is what brought down Johnson in the end.

I'd say a lot of people would break under the pressure of being in the public eye in his circumstances. Just thinking about how it is likely affecting his partner and kids absolutely no doubt in my mind that he needed professional treatment. Doesn't make what he did right but i very much doubt the hospital admission thing is to try and get some sympathy.

The Sun Newspaper had a 16-year topless Sam Fox in its paper many years ago, seems strange how they now take the moral high ground.

It's hard to understand the backlash against Huw, it seems he didn't do anything wrong other than waste a large sum of money on something you can get for free on the Internet.

So he was under investigation internally before these other complaints were made.

They don't give a crap about the moral high ground. Their concern was to make it as clickbait as possible while ensuring they were not legally exposed, which is why they carefully worded everything. It was also a way to get at the BBC their hated rival.

There'll be multiple different lines of investigation.

(1) Payment for the explicit images. This is the first case that the Sun went rabid on.

(2) Allegation of threats made in messages to someone who didn't want to meet up, and then threatened to expose Edwards if he didn't cease contact.

(3) Breach of lockdown rules to visit a different young man. Money changed hands but seemingly all that happened was Huw made a cup of tea and had chat.

(4) Accusations of inappropriate \ suggestive unwanted messages to junior BBC staff.

Only the last one really speaks to it as a 'BBC' issue as opposed to a Huw Edwards one, though their code of conduct may be broad enough to cover the others. The Covid lockdown breach is sensitive for the BBC given how they've gone after politicians for covid breaches.

More bother for BBC

How do we know whether the young person is male or female?

Some Pie

Lying shower of scumbags living up to their reputation

"The Sun alleged in a front-page story that the presenter had paid a young person, now aged 20, for photographs. The tabloid suggested this had started when the individual was 17 – a potentially serious criminal offence.

Officers at Scotland Yard have now concluded there is no evidence to support this allegation, leaving the Sun facing questions about its reporting. South Wales police also believes there is no criminal case to answer.

The young person’s lawyer allegedly told the Sun last week that the story was “rubbish” and no illegal activity took place, although the tabloid did not publish this denial until Monday night.

On Wednesday night, the Sun denied its article ever alleged criminality had taken place, saying: “Suggestions about possible criminality were first made at a later date by other media outlets, including the BBC.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jul/13/huw-edwards-bbc-to-focus-on-fact-finding-as-police-say-no-criminal-case-sun

A bunch of slimeballs, but they will get away with it again, sadly. I won't be too sad the day Rupert pops his clogs