Huw Edwards, Former BBC Presenter, Received A Suspended Sentence For Indecent Images Of Children
Huw Edwards, the former BBC presenter, has been given a suspended sentence for accepting charges of making indecent images of children. The images of children were as young as seven years old.
Huw Edwards, 63 year old reporter admitted three charges against him for the said crime. The indecent photos were sent to him by convicted paedophile Alex Williams via WhatsApp, which were 41 photos in total.
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The ex-BBC presenter pleaded with both his hands together at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. He was given a sentence of six months imprisonment which was suspended for two years.
The judge of the Westminster Court heard Edward say to Willaims to “go on” upon having asked whether he wants “naughty pics and vids” of someone being named by them as “yng (sic)”.
Westminster Court declared that Edwards made an arrangement to pay Williams hundreds of pounds to receive the photos and videos of young children. However, Edwards’ defence barrister, Philip Evans argued that the BBC presenter had not made the payment to the convicted paedophile.
The court presented proof that Williams had asked Edwards to give him a “Christmas gift after all the hot videos” that he sent to Huw Edwards.
It was confirmed by the prosecutor Ian Hope by saying, “Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200”.
The ages of most of the children in the images were from 13 to 15 years. Also, there were a few that were seven and nine years old.
The defence attorney said Huw Edwards is sorry
Mr Evans remarked that Edwards is sorry for what he did and has betrayed the trust of several people. He also admitted that he was “truly sorry” that he had deceived his family and loved ones through his revolting actions and committing the offences.
The case led to the Court’s actions that were not expected. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Hue Edwards that his character previously was not damaged and is known for his good character.
The Chief Magistrate revealed that Edwards had been of “exemplary” good character and had enjoyed a thriving career in the industry that he had been serving for years. He remains the most recognised face in the news media and is extremely regarded among the public.
However, the Magistrate did tell him that his long-earned reputation is now at risk. The Court made Edwards subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and would be placed under the sex offender treatment program scheduled for 40 days.
The last indecent image was sent to Edwards in August 2021. It was a short video in which a young boy was sitting with the convicted paedophile Williams. It was a category A movie. Williams further told Edwards that the child was “quite young looking” and that he could offer more pictures to him if he delivered what he asked for.
When the case opened, the discussion between Edwards and Williams was the highlight. Edwards asked Willaims where the pictures came from. He revealed that he had taken them from a sharing group on Telegram that they both had been a part of.
His defence barrister mentioned to the court that the defendant did not have any memory of actually having a look at any of the particular images under discussion.
The defence barrister kept on insisting that large amounts of money were never transferred to Williams except some hundreds and thousands, just to support him for his university expenses.
The BBC channel conceded that Edwards had been kept employed after his sentence in November. However, since the matters are now serious and Edwards has accepted himself, he has to repay the £200,000 salary that he has received since then.
