BBC admits it knew Huw Edwards had been arrested over most serious indecent images of children - but still paid him

1 August 2024, 18:18 | Updated: 1 August 2024, 19:09

BBC director general Tim Davie has defended the decision not to sack Huw Edwards, after it emerged that senior executives in the corporation knew about his indecent child images arrest months before he left.

Mr Davie said that the corporation made "difficult decisions in a fair and judicious manner" and added that it was not sitting on any evidence.

It comes after the BBC admitted on Wednesday that it knew in November about Edwards' arrest on "suspicion of serious offences" but continued employing him for several months after.

Edwards, 62, who pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child on Wednesday, finally left the broadcaster in April, but had come off the air the previous year after unrelated allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos.

When asked about how much the corporation was told in November, Mr Davie told BBC News: "We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences."

TV bosses were not aware of the ages of the children in the images.

Asked about whether Edwards would still receive his pension, Mr Davie 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, legally challenging, but we’ll look at all options."

Before he quit in April, Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24.

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

Read more: Huw Edwards would have been sacked over 'abhorrent' behaviour, says BBC as it admits it was aware of his arrest

Read more: Huw Edwards admits making indecent images of children after being sent 41 illegal photos, including boy as young as 7

The Met has confirmed that it told the BBC in "strict confidence" about the arrest of Huw Edwards in November, before he resigned from the corporation in April.

A statement from the force said: "The Met informed the BBC's governance department that Huw Edwards had been arrested on November 8 2023.

"Common law police disclosure (CLPD) is the established legal mechanism through which the police can inform an individual's employer when they are arrested or alleged to have committed an offence.

"It is often used where the individual holds a position of trust/responsibility with the public.

"The information is provided in strict confidence in order to enable the individual's employer to consider what risk mitigation measures might be necessary."

The corporation makes a distinction between Edwards' arrest and charge, which came in June - two months after he left.

They 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.

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."

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.

Edwards admitted three charges of making indecent photographs, after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams, including one of a boy as young as seven.

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.

At the time the annual report was published, Mr 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."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference on Thursday that he was "shocked and appalled" after Edwards admitted to accessing indecent images of children.

Asked if he was satisfied at how the BBC had handled the case, he said: "In relation to Huw Edwards, I'm shocked and appalled, I'm sure as everybody is in relation to this.

"And the Culture Secretary is meeting the director-general of the BBC later on today."

Edwards will next appear in court on September 16.