On 12th July, Vicky Flind, wife of one of the United Kingdom’s leading news anchors Huw Edwards, named him the BBC presenter accused of paying a vulnerable young person in exchange for sexually explicit images. Edwards, who is one of the network’s highest-earning anchors, was suspended by BBC pending an investigation.
A household name, Edwards was given the responsibility for some of the biggest stories of the UK, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, elections, the 2012 Summer Olympics and more.
In a statement, Flind said Edwards was getting treatment at the hospital for his “serious mental health issues”. The statement was given on his behalf “primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children”.
Flind said that her husband was suffering from serious mental health issues and pointed out that it was well-documented he had severe depression. There were no details on the allegations against Edwards in the statement. She “hoped” that the statement would end the speculations being raised in the media about other BBC presenters.
Huw Edwards’s wife’s statement
The statement published by the BBC read, “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.
Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The last few days’ events 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.“
In her statement, she mentioned that Edwards was first informed about the allegations on 6th July (local time). She appealed for privacy on behalf of her family.
BBC published her statement soon after London’s Metropolitan Police said they did not find any indication of a criminal offence committed by the presenter.
BBC noted that the detectives from Met’s Specialist Crime Command concluded the assessment and determined no criminal offence was committed. Met said, “In reaching this decision, they have spoken to a number of parties, including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant’s family, both via another police force. Detectives are aware of media reporting of further allegations against the same individual but have received no specific details or information about these allegations… and therefore, there is no police action at this time.”
BBC has resumed its investigation into the matter. A spokesperson said, “We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.” BBC director general Tim Davie said the incident “remains a very complex set of circumstances”. Speaking on the statement of the family, he said it “is a reminder that the last few days have seen personal lives played out in public.” He added, “This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved.”
The case so far
On 8th July, The Sun published the shocking story of an unnamed BBC presenter who allegedly paid a teen 35,000 Pounds over a period of three years for sexually explicit images. The publication cited the victim’s mother’s version while publishing the story against the BBC presenter.
On 10th July, it was reported that the TV representative, who was identified as a male staffer of BBC, called the young person and asked, “What have you done?” in panic. The BBC presenter called the young man twice after the allegations were published in the publication. The report adds that the BBC ‘star’ asked the victim to drop their complaint or stop the ongoing investigation.
BBC confirmed the reports that it had known about the complaint way back in May this year. However, the state-run British Broadcaster claimed that the new allegations were of a “different nature”. It added that it had suspended the male staffer accused of these wrongdoings.
The lawyer of the young person whose mother accused a well-known BBC presenter of paying her child in exchange for money said there was nothing wrong in paying the teen for his sexually explicit images, a report in the BBC said. He further claimed that the mother and the young person are estranged.
While the young person who received money for sexually explicit images denied the claims made by the mother and the stepfather, the parents rubbished them. They said they wanted the BBC presenter to stop sending him money. The young person’s mother accused the BBC presenter of pushing the young person, who was only 17 when it started, towards drugs.
