LAST UPDATE | 16 Sep
FORMER BBC PRESENTER Huw Edwards has been spared jail after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.
The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of “making” indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.
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.
The court heard Edwards told Williams “go on” when asked if he wanted “naughty pics and vids” of somebody described as young.
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 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 41 images Edwards received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type.
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.
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”, prosecutor Ian Hope told the court.
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.
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.”
Mr Hope continued in evidence at the court.
“From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special’,” Hope said.
“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 subject’s 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 I’ve 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 I’m sending too young for you?’
“The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying: ‘don’t send underage’.”
Mr Hope continued: “In a later exchange on August 11, 2021, Alex Williams says he has some ‘naughty pics and vids unsure if you’d 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, Telegram.
“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 don’t’ and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as ‘looks young don’t he but he’s deffo 19′.”
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