Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy will hold an urgent meeting with BBC boss Tim Davie after Huw Edwards admitted accessing indecent images of children.
It comes after the corporation said it knew of the veteran broadcaster’s arrest on “suspicion of serious offences” in November, but continued employing him until April.
Edwards, previously the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams, with seven being of the most serious type.
After his guilty plea on Wednesday, a BBC spokesperson said: “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 internal note sent to BBC staff alongside the statement, co-signed by Mr Davie, said bosses were “appalled” by the news.
The note added “there can be no place for such behaviour” at the BBC.
According to reports, Ms Nandy is expected to meet Mr Davie on Thursday to discuss the organisation’s handling of the case.
Edwards resigned from the BBC in April “on the basis of medical advice from his doctors” after unrelated allegations that he paid a young person for sexually explicit photos.
He was suspended by the corporation after the allegations came to light, but the Metropolitan Police later said no criminal offence had taken place.
The family of the unnamed young person originally complained to the BBC about Edwards in May 2023, and he was publicly named by his wife as the TV presenter at the centre of the allegations the following July.
Before he resigned in April, Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming, according to the BBC’s latest annual report.
This last salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and 439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences after an investigation by South Wales Police, receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
The court heard that he had engaged in online chat involving illegal photographs with an adult man, now known to be Williams, on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, when he was still a fixture on the BBC.
Edwards will appear at the same court again on September 16.
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