The BBC director-general has condemned Huw Edwards’ crimes as “appalling” and said the corporation is still having conversations about recovering part of his salary paid following his arrest.
Tim Davie addressed the scandal following Edwards‘ sentencing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society (RTS) annual convention, Mr Davie said he could not see the former presenter ever working at the BBC again “for obvious reasons”.
“This man has just been convicted of appalling crimes and it’s pretty straightforward in my mind,” he said.
Huw Edwards was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Pic: PA
Edwards was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of “making” indecent images of children.
The newsreader paid up to £1,500 to a paedophile who sent him 41 illegal images between December 2020 and August 2021, seven of which were of the most serious type, the court heard.
Asked how badly the scandal has damaged the BBC’s reputation, Mr Davie said there was “no doubt an affair like this impacts our reputation”.
“I don’t know yet in terms of the direct impact on trust,” he added.
Presenter Amol Rajan, who hosted the session, asked Mr Davie why Edwards’ pay continued after the BBC was made aware of charges against him.
Mr David said they took the decision “that pay continues until someone is charged”, and added: “I think it was the right decision based on current policy.”
Earlier this year, before the charges against Edwards were announced, it was revealed he was among the BBC’s highest-paid stars of the last financial year, despite being off-air since July 2023. He was first arrested in November 2023, and the BBC has asked for his salary paid after that period – thought to be about £200,000 – to be handed back.
“We want the money back and we’ve asked for it back, and we’re waiting to hear back,” Mr Davie said. Discussions are still ongoing, he added.
Victims’ families remain the “primary concern”, Mr Davie said, and young people who raised concerns over Edwards were “taken seriously” at the time allegations were made.
“We’re just shocked, and there’s a lot of upset because across the BBC,” he said. “We’ve got great teams, good people and they feel deeply, deeply let down.”
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