Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has admitted to possessing 41 indecent images of children on WhatsApp, as reported by PA Media.
Edwards appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Wednesday, where it was revealed that the offenses took place between December 2020 and August 2021.
The court was told that Edwards engaged in online conversations with an adult man on WhatsApp, who sent him 377 sexual images, including 41 indecent images of children. All charges pertained to images of children under the age of 18.
The 62-year-old journalist arrived at court dressed in a dark suit, blue tie, and sunglasses. He entered his pleas at the beginning of the hearing and “stared into the distance” as the prosecutor presented the case.
Among the illegal images, seven were classified as category A, the most severe classification under English law. Twelve images were category B, and 22 were category C.
The court heard that Edwards instructed the man on WhatsApp not to send underage images after the man asked if the images were too young. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, involving a category A video of a young boy.
After that message, no more illegal images were sent, though the pair continued exchanging legal pornographic images until April 2022.
In Edwards’ defense, his barrister, Philip Evans, stated, “There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr. Edwards has, in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.”
Edwards pleaded guilty to “making indecent images of children.” According to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), "making" can include downloading an image from a website or receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited.
“Mr. Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else, and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else,” Evans said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the BBC acknowledged Edwards' arrest in November 2023, five months before he left the corporation, on suspicion of “serious offences.” At that time, no charges had been brought against him. The BBC stated that Edwards would have been immediately dismissed if charged during his employment. The corporation expressed shock at the court’s revelations.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed that Edwards was charged last month, having been arrested in November last year. They clarified that these allegations were investigated separately and did not relate to an earlier matter considered in July 2023.
Edwards was known for presenting the BBC’s flagship News at Ten program and covering major state events like royal weddings and funerals. He stepped down from his role at the BBC in late April after a 40-year career.
The BBC’s annual report revealed that Edwards was paid between £475,000 ($610,000) and £479,999 ($616,000) from April 2023 to March 2024, making him the corporation's third highest-paid employee during that period. Photo by Jwslubbock, Wikimedia commons.