Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the 62-year-old admitted three offences between December 2020 and August 2021. Dressed in a navy-blue suit and wearing dark sunglasses, Edwards arrived surrounded by a police escort to chaotic scenes, with protesters shouting as he made his way through the media scrum into the building. Appearing in court, he appeared calm as he plead guilty to all three counts of making indecent images of children. The court heard that Edwards had been involved in online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. One child in two of the images is estimated to be as aged between seven and nine. The estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15. Edwards was emotionless after pleading guilty to the charges and sat staring into the distance, with his head tilted slightly upwards. The bulk of the images, 36, were sent during a two-month period. On February 2 2021 the male asked whether what he was sending was too young, in response to which Mr 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 age 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. The man 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 the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said he was arrested in November last year and charged on June 26. Edwards, who was one of the BBC’s most prominent and highest-paid news anchors before he left the corporation in April on medical grounds, could receive a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment. During his career, he fronted BBC’s News At Ten for 20 years and anchored coverage of major national events including announcing Queen Elizabeth II’s death on the BBC and presenting coverage of her funeral. He was previously the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming, according to the corporation’s latest annual report.
Huw Edwards: Ex-BBC presenter pleads guilty to making indecent images of children
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Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the 62-year-old admitted three offences between December 2020 and August 2021.
Dressed in a navy-blue suit and wearing dark sunglasses, Edwards arrived surrounded by a police escort to chaotic scenes, with protesters shouting as he made his way through the media scrum into the building.
Appearing in court, he appeared calm as he plead guilty to all three counts of making indecent images of children.
The court heard that Edwards had been involved in online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
One child in two of the images is estimated to be as aged between seven and nine. The estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15.
Edwards was emotionless after pleading guilty to the charges and sat staring into the distance, with his head tilted slightly upwards.
(Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
The bulk of the images, 36, were sent during a two-month period.
On February 2 2021 the male asked whether what he was sending was too young, in response to which Mr 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 age between seven and nine, the court was told.
(Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy.
The man 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 the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said he was arrested in November last year and charged on June 26.
Edwards, who was one of the BBC’s most prominent and highest-paid news anchors before he left the corporation in April on medical grounds, could receive a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
During his career, he fronted BBC’s News At Ten for 20 years and anchored coverage of major national events including announcing Queen Elizabeth II’s death on the BBC and presenting coverage of her funeral.
(Getty Images)
He was previously the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming, according to the corporation’s latest annual report.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/huw-edwards-indecent-images-children-court-bbc-b2588701.html