Pictured: Paedophile who sent Huw Edwards 41 indecent images of children, including boy as young as 7

1 August 2024, 10:54

This is the convicted paedophile who sent Huw Edwards dozens of indecent photos of children on WhatsApp.

Alex Williams, 25, sent the disgraced broadcaster 41 indecent child photographs, including two that showed a boy who was aged between seven and nine.

Former star BBC newsreader Edwards, 62, a married father of five, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children on Wednesday.

Edwards was only caught by chance when police in Wales found his number on Williams' phone while they were investigating the younger man.

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Williams was handed a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, in March after he admitted seven offences related to possessing and distributing indecent images.

Reached by MailOnline this week after Williams' arrest, his family said he was no longer living with them and claimed that they were unaware of his crimes.

Edwards had been involved in the WhatsApp chat with Williams between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.

The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.

On February 2 2021 Williams asked whether what he was sending was too young, in response to which Edwards told him not to send any underage images, the court heard.

The indecent images that were sent included seven category A, the worst, 12 category B, and 22 category C.

Of the category A images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told.

The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy.

Williams told Edwards that the boy was quite young looking, and that he had more images which were illegal.

Edwards told him not to send any illegal images, the court was told.

No more were sent, and Williams and Edwards continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.

Speaking in Edwards' defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC said: "There's no suggestion in this case that Mr Edwards has... in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.

"It is important also to remember for context that devices, Mr Edwards' devices, have been seized, have been searched, and there's nothing in those devices.

"It is only the images that are the subject of the charges that came via a WhatsApp chat.

"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."

He said the broadcaster had "both mental and physical" health issues. He told the court: "It is obvious to the court, I'm sure, that Mr Edwards was not just of good character, but of exceptional character."

Mr Evans said the court was aware of issues with Edwards' health - "both mental and physical".

Edwards faced a barrage of cameras and photographers as he left court. He left in a black Mercedes with tinted windows.

Edwards was first arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June this year.

He had become a key figure for the BBC in recent years, playing a central role in the coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other major political events.

The BBC announced Edwards' resignation earlier this year in a brief statement.

The corporation said: "Huw Edwards has resigned and left the BBC.

"After 40 years of service, Huw explained that his decision was made on the basis of advice. The BBC has accepted his resignation."

It emerged recently that Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 in the 2023-24 financial year.

That made him the broadcaster's third-highest-paid presenter overall.

BBC bosses are facing a grilling over what they knew about Edwards' case, after it emerged that they knew he had been arrested months before he left the corporation.

The BBC said in a statement after Edwards' guilty plea: "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."

An NSPCC spokesperson said after the guilty plea: "Online child sexual abuse offences can have a devastating impact on victims and we should be in no doubt about the seriousness of Edwards' crimes.

"It can be extremely traumatic for young people to know sexual images of themselves have been shared online. Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation's Report Remove tool can help young people who have suffered in this way to get the images removed.

"We also need to see online platforms do much more to identify and disrupt child abuse in private messaging services in order to safeguard young people."