BBC News star Huw Edwards admits he betrayed the priceless trust of viewers but insists he has no memory of viewing images of child abuse
Huw Edwards admits he betrayed the priceless trust of viewers by receiving child abuse images but insists he has no memory of viewing them, his defence barrister said today.
Huw Edwards admits he betrayed the priceless trust of viewers by receiving child abuse images but insists he has no memory of viewing them, his defence barrister said today.
The 63-year-old admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.
Edwards claimed to a probation officer that his sick offending was fuelled by alcohol, poor mental health and a deterioration of his personal relationship, Westminster Magistrates Court heard.
Delivering his mitigation, Barrister Philip Evans KC said his client was mentally vulnerable and claimed he had no memory of viewing any of the images.
He has lost that good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way, Mr Evans continued.
Huw Edwards - seen outside court today - admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams
Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreaders downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot
Delivering his mitigation, Barrister Philip Evans KC said: He has lost that good character. He has lost that good character in a very public way
That is, we respectfully submit, a matter of some significance and we know that the court will not underestimate the effect that that will have had on him. He has not worked since leaving employment with the BBC.
Mr Evans went on: You will have appreciated, sir, that the press has been extraordinary to the extent that this matter has been reported and Mr Edwards through me wishes to apologise to the court.
He wishes the court, through me, to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images.
For his part in that, he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret and he recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people.
He knows he has hurt and he has damaged his family and his loved ones around him and for all of these things he is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences.
Earlier today, the court heard how Edwards told Williams to go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as young.
The court heard Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to the paedophile after he sent him pornographic images.
Mr Evans said Edwards did not make payments in order to receive indecent images of children, telling the court: Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him.
Edwards wrote yes xxx when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.
Opening the case against the veteran broadcaster, prosecutor Ian Hope said: It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money - low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis - to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted.
Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around £1,000 to £1,500.
Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Flind in London in 2018. She named him as the high-profile presenter as the centre of a sexual pictures scandal
Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queens funeral
Mr Hope continued: From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had a file of vids and pics for you of someone special.
Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subjects age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.
These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis.
Alex Williams stated that he had 12 videos and 42 pics Ive sent you a video of him before.
Shortly after Alex Williams asked: want me to send you the full file? Mr Edwards responded Yes xxx... immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.
Mr Hope said Edwards did not respond after convicted paedophile Williams sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13.
The prosecutor said: On February 10 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent - it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively.
There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as read.
A week later... a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children.
On February 19 2021, Alex Williams asked: is the stuff Im sending too young for you?
The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying: dont send underage.
Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britains most prominent newsreaders
Edwards made no comment as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court in London this morning
Mr Hope continued: In a later exchange on August 11, 2021, Alex Williams says he has some naughty pics and vids unsure if youd like. Mr Edwards tells him to go on and Alex Williams states yng (sic).
Mr Edwards again tells him to go on and Alex Williams sends a Category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9...
Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used.
Alex Williams says the subject is quite yng looking to which Mr Edwards responds it can be deceptive and asks if he has any more?
Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal.
Mr Edwards says: Ah ok dont and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as looks young dont he but hes deffo 19.
Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type.
Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police - receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with convicted paedophile Williams telling the newsreader the child was quite young looking and that he had more images which were illegal.
Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021.
