BBC accused of sitting on Huw Edwards internal inquiry (2024)

A BBC staffer sent inappropriate and flirty messages by Huw Edwards has described feeling 'sick' to their stomach when they discovered the stellar newsreader had admitted possessing child p*rn.

The corporationis facing calls to release its 'fact-finding mission' into complaints about the behaviour of Huw Edwardsfrom younger staffers who he bombarded with 'inappropriate' messages.

The BBC stands accused of trying to protect its own reputation - and Edwards - over failing to reveals its findings about the disgraced broadcaster's behaviour at work.

MailOnline revealed yesterday how suggested a junior colleague could stay over in his BBC-funded hotel suite on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral and sent a picture of the room including the bed.

In an interview with BBC News last night, Director General Tim Davie insisted that bosses are 'not sitting on anything that I think we need to share with the police, or is of a serious nature that would make me feel that we hadn't followed up properly'.

But one BBC staffer who received inappropriate messages from Edwards has said that learning the TV presenter had child sexual abuse images on his phone 'made them feel sick'.

They told Newsnight: 'Huw Edwards messaged me on social media several times, despite us never having met and not knowing each other. Many of the messages were clearly inappropriate, including telling me unprompted what he was doing in the early hours of the morning, asking that he take me for food, and including several kisses at the end of messages.

'When I first told my experiences to Newsnight a year ago I had no idea the story would eventually take such a dark turn. Hearing the allegations this week made me feel sick.

'My experience does shed a bit of light into a much broader picture, one in which the most senior journalist felt able to abuse his position of power in several ways, from inappropriate messages to members of staff he did not know, to much darker activity on WhatsApp in conversation with a convicted paedophile.

'I hope the BBC uses this experience as an opportunity to learn, and recommit to ensuring the highest standards of professionalism of its presenters. It has never been more important for the people of the UK to be able to trust them.

'At the time I was confused as to why he was sending such messages to me, but I had heard stories of other younger employees in the BBC having similar experiences with him.

'I care deeply about the BBC, which is an organisation I love and remain very proud to have worked for. It is full of brilliant, talented, caring people, at all levels. There are clearly questions for senior leaders in the organisation to answer about how it handled the situation in November, upon hearing the news of his arrest'.

BBC staff who told into that inquiry team of how Edwards sent them messages that made them feel uncomfortable claim they have been left 'totally isolated' - and demanded the report is made public.

Speaking to Newsnight anonymously last night, one said: 'It has been deeply disappointing for the details of the report to have not been made public, or to know what other people have experienced what you have - so you know how many other people this affected.

'It has made me feel totally isolated. I've felt more reassurances by speaking to the media as a trusted source than I have dealing with the BBC directly. It shouldn't have been that way'.

The staffers said they have heard nothing from BBC's HR team since November, when they sent them links to Samaritans and the Mind mental health charity.

Mr Davie also said the corporation will 'look at all options' in trying to reclaim pay from Edwards after the revelations.

The BBC chief said: 'These are, unfortunately, the specifics of how it works, that we can't claw back pension.

'I think when it comes to pay, again, legally challenging, but we'll look at all options.'

Formerculture secretary Sir John Whittingdale said there is an impression that the BBC has not sought to be as transparent as it should be, amid questions over its handling of the Huw Edwards probe.

The Conservative MP appeared on BBC's Newsnight to discuss alleged internal complaints made against former BBC News presenter Edwards, who admitted earlier this week to making indecent images of children.

Former BBC producer David Keighley said today: 'The problem is that the BBC is its own judge and jury on these matters. That means it will in the first instance try to protect its own reputation rather than get to the truth'.

It comes after BBC director-general Tim Davie defended his decision to employ the veteran broadcaster until April, five months after he was told of Edwards' arrest in November over the most serious category of indecent photographs.

'I think it's clearly damaging for the BBC, particularly the way in which further revelations (have) become public,' Sir John said.

'There is an impression that the BBC has not sought to be as transparent as they should be.'

The Newsnight programme included statements from a current BBC employee and a former staff member at the broadcaster who were critical of an internal inquiry into Edwards' behaviour after they said they received 'inappropriate' messages from Edwards.

Sir John said: '(The) BBC always carries out internal inquiries and we're told that lessons have been learnt and safeguards have been put in place and yet they don't appear to have been effective.

'...Revelations about what we're hearing from BBC employees who have suffered completely inappropriate behaviour and reported it and yet nothing was done.

'And those are the kinds of questions where it isn't enough just to have an internal inquiry, I think there is a public need to know exactly what actions were taken by the BBC.'

Sir John said it was 'unfortunate' that while Mr Davie had given an interview to BBC News, he has not been able to be examined 'in a way a select committee could' - which 'hasn't yet been set up because we're in a new parliament'.

The Culture Secretary has asked the BBC to look into whether it can recoup money from Huw Edwards' pay packet after the former broadcaster admitted accessing indecent images of children.

Lisa Nandy spoke with BBC director general Tim Davie on Thursday after Edwards admitted making indecent photographs, with seven of the 41 images being of the most serious type.

Mr Davie also said the corporation will 'look at all options' in trying to reclaim pay from Edwards after the revelations.

The BBC chief said: 'These are, unfortunately, the specifics of how it works, that we can't claw back pension.

'I think when it comes to pay, again, legally challenging, but we'll look at all options.'

Edwards' child p*rnography charges were not made public for five weeks due to fears over his 'mental health', it was claimed last night.

Edwards, 62, was arrested on suspicion of receiving indecent images of children via a WhatsApp exchange with paedophile Alex Williams, 25, in November 2023. He was charged this year on June 26.

The former BBC presenter has pleaded guilty to possessing seven category A images, 12 category B images and 22 category C images of children atWestminster magistrates' court this week.

But despite there being major pubic interest in Edwards' case, the charges and his upcomingcourt appearance were not revealed to the public at the time, as is typical practice.

It comes as the BBC's director general Tim Davie has insisted that the corporation was not 'sitting on' any information regarding the police inquiry.

The Met and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have both denied suppressing information or giving Edwards special treatment.

Fears over the former presenter's mental health contributed to the decision to withhold information for as long as possible, sources have told The Telegraph.

The source said: '[...] concern over Edwards' mental health was certainly a factor in deciding not to release all the details immediately. The intention was to release details of the charges the day before he was due in court.

'This was not an attempt to cover it up but simply to manage the inevitable frenzy that would follow the news being made public.'

MailOnline has contacted the CPS and the Met for comment.

BBC boss MrDavieadmitted he knew Huw Edwards had been arrested over the most serious category of child p*rn images - yet continued to pay the paedophile presenter more than £200,000 until he resigned.

In a bombshell interview with BBC News on Thursday, the director general said: 'We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences.'

BBC bosses, who were told about Edwards' arrest in November but kept paying him for another five months, say they were not aware of the ages of the children in the images.

Britain's most famous newsreader yesterday pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court to receiving 41 indecent images of children, two of which showed a child aged between about seven and nine.

Edwards received the pictures on WhatsApp from convicted paedophile, Alex Williams, between December 2020 and August 2021. Seven of them were category A images - the most serious classification - while 12 were category B and 22 were category C.

Category A images show serious abuse including penetrative sexual activity, while Category B images involvenon-penetrative sexual activity. Category C images do not depict any sexual activity.

Mr Davie tonight confirmed the BBC did know the severity of the alleged offences, but claimed the police had not told them the full details.

When the ex-anchorman's charges were made public this week, Mr Davie said:'We were very shocked. No one knew about the specifics of what we heard over the last few days, which have been deeply disturbing.'

The director general also reiterated that the BBC did not reveal that star's arrest at the request of the police, adding that the Beeb also had to consider its duty of care to Edwards.

'When it comes to the decision we made in November, we were obviously faced with a difficult decision, and we considered it very carefully,' Mr Davie said.

'The police came to us and gave us information that they had arrested Mr Edwards. But they wanted to be assured of total confidence, and the reason they rung us at that point, it's a technical process to ensure employees are protected and there's no risk.'

He added: 'Another factor at this point was very significant duty of care considerations. I think it was right for us to say we'd let the police do their business, and then when charges happen, we will act.'

Addressing whether Edwards would still receive his pension, he said it was'very difficult to claw back, nigh on impossible', adding: 'These are unfortunately the specifics of how it works.

'When it comes to pay, again, [it's] legally challenging [to recover], but we'll look at all options.'

Mr Davie was also quizzed about the BBC's own investigation into Edwards, which has not been published.

He said the BBC was 'not sitting on anything that I think we need to share with the police, or is of a serious nature that would make me feel that we hadn't followed up properly'.

He continued: 'I can categorically say that when it comes to the offences we've seen, which are truly horrendous, any evidence that is out there is not in the hands of the BBC. If I saw evidence of that, that is not a complicated decision [to hand it over].'

Before Edwards resigned in April on medical advice, he was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24, according to the BBC's latest annual report.

This last salary marked a £40,000 pay rise from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and £439,999.

The disgraced broadcaster earned more than £200,000 between his arrest last November and leaving the corporation in April.

The BBC has said that if Edwards had been charged while he was still an employee it would have sacked him, but at the point of charge he no longer worked for the corporation.

After his guilty plea on Wednesday, a BBC spokesperson said: 'In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation.

'At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.'

The corporation added: 'The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.

'Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court.

'If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC.

'During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions.'

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is 'shocked and appalled' by the Edwards' news when asked about the case at a press conference in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister also confirmed the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will hold urgent talks with the BBC director-general Tim Davie on Thursday.

The public currently pays £169.50 a year for the licence fee and questions will surely be raised if Edwards' salary was the best use of that money.

Charlotte Rees-John, an employment law partner at legal firm Irwin Mitchell, told the PA news agency: 'It would have been possible to dismiss Huw Edwards after he was arrested, but it is not without risk.

'I suspect this was considered but the safer approach was taken, which was to wait until charged.

'Suspension on full pay was then appropriate as was the pay rise if contractual.

'Many other organisations would have taken the risk to protect their reputation, but the BBC is under a greater level of scrutiny and they also had to consider that he was suffering with his mental health and as such at risk of serious harm.'

However, the fact Edwards has now admitted three charges of making indecent photographs - after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams - will also likely raise serious questions of trust in figures at the BBC.

The scandal with Edwards comes in the wake of the crimes of Jimmy Savile, the TV star and serial sexual abuser who managed to conceal his crimes until after his death in 2011.

It also comes weeks after the BBC delayed publishing a report in the conduct of former Radio 1 presenter Tim Westwood because of an ongoing police investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct going back four decades.

Westwood 'strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate behaviour' and refutes all accusations of wrongdoing. He has not been charged with a criminal offence.

At the time the annual report was published, Davie defended Edwards' £40,000 pay rise, saying: 'We are always trying to be very judicious with the spending of public money and no-one wants to waste a pound.

'But what you're trying to do, and from the onset of that affair, was trying to act proportionally, fairly and navigate this appropriately.

'I think that's what we did... but I think we wouldn't have wasted money if we weren't doing the right thing.'

Edwards resigned from the BBC in April 'on the basis of medical advice from his doctors' after unrelated allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos.

Police found no evidence of criminal behaviour in relation to this matter.

Edwards will next appear in court on September 16.