Huw Edwards took two months of sick leave from the BBC in 2018 after an anonymous denunciation, court hears
Huw Edwards took two months of sick leave from the BBC after an anonymous denunciation six years ago, it emerged in court today.
Huw Edwards took two months of sick leave from the BBC after an anonymous denunciation six years ago, it emerged in court today.
The revelation came as the disgraced presenter was handed a suspended jail sentence after admitting to accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.
Detailed reports by psychiatrists gave an insight into how the veteran anchormans life spiralled out of control after he began a social media presence which allowed him to interact with people that otherwise he would never have engaged with.
The father-of-fives relationship with TV producer wife Vicky Flind began to deteriorate and he started to re-engage with his sexual interest in men which had been managed since 1994.
The court heard that Edwards took two months of sick leave in 2018, and onwards he showed non trivial impairment on his decision-making capacity and judgement.
This was the same year he and Alex Williams began exchanging messages and male pornographic images.
Huw Edwards took two months sick leave from the BBC after an anonymous denunciation six years ago, it emerged in court today. He is pictured outside court in July
Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away in a black Mercedes when at court in July
Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles visit to Scotland
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
Fellow Welshman Williams, 25, was one of several young people the disgraced presenter was talking to on social media.
Their relationship quickly flourished and Edwards and Williams shared a video call in May 2018 - even going as far as meeting in person.
The majority of the photos and videos shared by the two men featured younger-looking adult males, which were not illegal.
However, by the time the UK was in lockdown in December 2020, Williams - with access to the dark web - used an encrypted WhatsApp platform to share sharing indecent images of children.
Welsh Police were investigating Williams and discovered his connection to Edwards by accident.
However he later admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by the convicted paedophile Williams.
And at Westminster Magistrates Court today, Edwards held his hands together and leaned forward throughout his sentencing hearing as he was handed six months imprisonment, suspended for two years.
Court reports highlighted how Edwards, 63, became fixated with online sexual images while experiencing poor mental health, increased use of alcohol and a deterioration within his intimate relationship.
They also described how he began leading an unhealthy lifestyle featuring excessive use and misuse of prescribed medication.
In July, Edwards admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp
Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court today with a wheelie suitcase
One report highlighted how Edwards had been psychologically damaged by his upbringing with a monstrous father, and how he felt like an outsider in the BBC after failing to get into Oxford or Cambridge university and ended up at Cardiff instead.
Dr Michael Isaac, a consultant psychiatrist and neuropsychiatrist, wrote: Mr Edwards is a complex individual, with a psychologically challenging upbringing, in which his relationship with his father was particularly challenging and probably damaging psychologically.
The restrictive, puritanical, but often hypocritical, background of growing up in the particular cultural milieu of South Wales, with a father who was highly regarded and lauded outside the family, but was perceived as behaving monstrously within the family, created both an enduring cognitive dissonance and low self-esteem, compounded by a sense of being inferior (by not getting into Oxford and going to Cardiff instead) and being therefore something of an outsider at the BBC.
His late father Hywel Teifi Edwards was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh language activist and an author and academic, who was research professor of Welsh-language Literature at University College of Swansea.
Dr Isaac continued: I consider that all of this, including and, as well as the persistent depressive disorder, with intermittent bouts of clinical depression...significantly and adversely affected Mr Edwards decision making in relation to looking after himself and, crucially in this context, his interaction with co-workers and strangers via social media. His reported conduct reflects this.
Westminster Magistrates Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied yes xxx when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages can be deceptive when told one of the subjects in an image was quite yng looking, before asking if he had any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
I consider that from approximately 2018… when Mr Edwards took two months of sick leave following an anonymous denunciation, Mr Edwards on balance exhibited a mental impairment that had a significant (non-trivial) effect on his ability to carry out day-to-day activities, including his decision-making capacity and judgment.
In another report, forensic psychosexual therapist Dr Virginia Appleyard described how Edwards was particularly destabilised through the process of commencing a social media presence which allowed him to interact with people that otherwise he would never have engaged with.
Dr Appleyard wrote: His social media engagement presented as an easy way to manage his low mood and provided him with a number of men and women who were motivated to be sexual with him which not only boosted his fragile self-esteem but allowed him to re-engage with his sexual interest in men which had been managed since 1994.
The feelings of being desirable and unseen alongside Mr. Edwards unresolved sexual orientation created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities and became vulnerable to people blackmailing him.
Outlining the declining state of his marriage the documents say: At the time of the offences and over a period of two to three years, Mr Edwards described a deterioration in the relationship.
His wife was experiencing high levels of stress as her mother was nearing end of life and the couple became increasingly distant from one another.
Mr Edwards recognises that he was also detached and not present at a time when she needed his support.
Despite having previously been very close, he recalls this period as the most difficult part of their marriage and their levels of intimacy had significantly decreased.
Mr Edwards has been keen to stress that he does not consider his bisexuality as permission for infidelity and he expresses high levels of remorse for the betrayal of his partner and children and is aware that he has eroded the trust placed in him.
At the time of the offending Edwards described an unhealthy lifestyle featuring excessive use and misuse of prescribed medication.
Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britains most prominent newsreaders
Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013
The report said: He has expressed some disappointment that although family members had commented on these changes, there had not been a greater effort by those around him to challenge him openly about this.
He asserts that he does not seek to place blame on others for his own failings but he became so entrenched in his own situation and deteriorating mental health, that he was unable to objectively assess and take positive action.
The medical reports also state how Edwards had been assessed as a suicide risk but had also been making plans for the future.
The report revealed how Edwards would welcome further assistance in developing his future plans, particularly in the area of vocational or volunteering endeavours which he is mindful will need to be managed alongside restrictions placed upon him.
Westminster Magistrates Court heard Edwards told Williams go on when asked if he wanted naughty pics and vids of somebody described as yng (sic).
Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said reputational and financial damage was the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself.
The BBC said Edwards had betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him - adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes.
The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the worlds media today
Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates Court today
The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children.
The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a Christmas gift after all the hot videos.
Prosecutor Ian Hope said: Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.
Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
Mr Evans said Edwards recognises that he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people, adding that he is truly sorry for how he had damaged his family and his loved ones and for committing the offences.
Huw Edwards was snared by chance by police in Wales who were investigating Williams and stumbled on his messages to the now-disgraced newsreader (Edwards is pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates Court in July)
Sentencing Edwards, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the broadcaster: Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.
The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of exemplary good character having enjoyed a very successful career in the media.
Its obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public, he continued, adding that Edwards was perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist.
It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters, the judge said.
He also told Edwards he would be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days.
Edwards was also ordered to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs and was told he would be put on the sex offenders register for seven years.
He declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards.
Overall, the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021.
Following his guilty pleas, the BBC admitted it was informed that the former TV presenter had been arrested in November, but continued to employ him for around five months until he left on medical advice.
It has asked Edwards to repay the £200,000 salary he has received since his arrest.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said the money should be returned and that the corporation will explore the legal process if Edwards refuses.
During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queens funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023.
Edwards also announced the late Queens death on the BBC in September 2022.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was shocked and appalled by the case, adding that Edwards sentence was for the court to decide, having looked at all the available evidence.
Full timeline of Huw Edwards downfall
March 2023
Edwards announcing the news of Her Majestys death to the nation in September 2022
Huw Edwards signs new three-year deal with the BBC after praise for the way he led coverage of the Queens death.
It came after he was seen at the offices of the BBCs biggest radio rival – Global – in August 2022. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was thinking about my future.
In June that year he would pick up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards special recognition award.
April 2023
Police were contacted but no criminality was identified.
May 6, 2023
Edwards hosts coverage of King Charles coronation as he lead the BBC broadcast of the historic event.
May 18, 2023
A family member of the young person, who was 17 at the time, made an in-person complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter.
May 19, 2023
A complainant contacted the BBC in a 29-minute call to the BBCs audience services team, and the details were referred to the Corporate Investigations Team.
The family member reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop sending their family member cash.
The Corporate Investigations Team decided the complaint didnt include an allegation of criminality, but merited more investigation.
The investigators email the complainant to get more information but they get no response.
June 6, 2023
After getting no reply to the email, the Corporate Investigations Team tries to call the complainant but the call does not connect.
However, the Sun reported later that the family said no one from the corporation phoned them for a proper interview after they complained.
The BBC said no more attempts to contact the family were made after this date, but that the case remained open.
July 5, 2023
Edwards is seen on screen for what would be the last time before the scandal became public, when he covered King Charles visit to Scotland
Huw Edwards is seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles visit to Scotland.
July 6, 2023
The Sun informs BBC Press Office about allegations against the star presenter.
The BBC launches an incident management group of top executives after becoming aware of new allegations of a different nature against the presenter.
It is the first time Mr Davie or any executive directors were made aware of the case, according to the BBC.
A senior manager holds the first conversation with the presenter concerned.
It is agreed he should not appear on air while the allegations are investigated.
July 7, 2023
The Sun published its exclusive which alleged that a BBC presenter, unnamed at the time, paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content to someone beginning when they were 17.
But a lawyer acting on behalf of the young person told The Sun that evening there was no truth to the claims.
The BBC said it would investigate and it made contact with the Metropolitan Police.
July 8, 2023
The complainant sends the BBC materials related to the complaint.
There is a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question.
July 9, 2023
A mocked up version of a reported Instagram message exchange between Edwards and a teenager
The BBC confirms that a male presenter has been suspended from all duties.
The Sun reports that the presenter allegedly made two phone calls to the young person and pleaded with them to call their mother to stop the investigation.
July 10, 2023
BBC representatives and Metropolitan Police detectives meet in the morning to discover if any crimes have been committed.
The young person claims through a lawyer that the allegations are rubbish.
In response, the Sun said it had reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.
The parents stood by their account to the Sun and the stepfather was quoted in a story saying the allegations were originally put the the BBC for an hour.
July 11, 2023
Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations incredibly seriously
Director-general of the BBC Tim Davie defends the delay in speaking to the BBC presenter.
But the BBC admits there were lessons to be learned prompting a boss to assess the protocols.
In the afternoon, new claims emerged from the BBC that the presenter sent threatening messages to a second young person.
It is claimed they met on a dating app, before the conversation moved to other platforms where the presenter revealed his identity.
He then allegedly sent a number of threatening messages to the youngster, which the BBC has seen.
The Sun reported the star is also accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old stranger from a dating site.
July 12, 2023
Huw Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Find in South London in 2018. She has since separated from the former broadcaster in the wake of his recent scandals
Huw Edwards is revealed as the BBC presented by his wife Vicky Flind.
She said he was suffering from serious mental health issues.
The bombshell revelation came just moments after the police said they were taking no further action in the case.
But BBC boss Mr Davie sent an email to staff informing them that an internal investigation would continue even though police were no longer involved.
The BBC reported fresh allegations from two current junior members of staff and one former member of staff who claim they were sent messages that made them uncomfortable.
July 12, 2023
Mr Davie asked for a second review of the BBCs complaints protocols after it was revealed the family were only contacted twice by the corporation - despite the seriousness of the allegations.
November 8, 2023
Edwards is arrested, but tells noone.
Later speaking to MailOnline, one shocked former colleague and friend said: Huw kept his arrest completely secret.
They added: It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged.
February 27, 2024
The BBC apologised to the young persons family, whod complained about Edwards two months before he was suspended.
An independent report by Deloitte is published into the BBCs complaints handling procedure
The publicly-funded broadcaster acknowledged that there had been shortcomings in the way it had dealt with the case as it reviewed its complaints procedures.
April, 2024
Edwards took sanctuary in his beloved Wales and was being comforted in Carmarthenshire by his mother Aerona.
April 22, 2024
Edwards resigns from the BBC.
Broadcasting executive Stewart Purvis CBE said there is relief across the BBC that the extraordinarily damaging saga has been resolved.
He added that Edwards having walked from the BBC will be viewed as quite a successful outcome for the corporation.
June 26, 2024
Edwards is charged with the possession of indecent images of children.
Interrupting coverage of Chancellor Rachel Reeves statement in the House of Commons, the BBC announced the breaking news on July 29.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp.
July 23, 2024
The BBCs annual report reveals 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.
This 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.
This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024.
But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care.
The BBC confirmed at the time of his departure that he had not received a pay-off and was leaving on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.
Director general Tim Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming there was no settlement payment. He also said he was not going to get into whos spoken to who when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.
July 31, 2024
Edwards remained silent as he left the court building surrounded by the press today
Edwards pleads guilty to making 41 indecent images of children - and faces jail.
The newscaster admitted he kept seven category A images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by a paedophile.
The sick child porn images showed youngsters aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates Court heard.
He remained emotionless as he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, between December 2020 and August 2022.
His admission now leaves the former news stars glittering four-decade career in tatters.
September 16, 2024
Edwards is due to be sentenced - and could face up to 10 years in jail.