Huw Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to a convicted paedophile after he sent him pornographic images and replied ‘yes xxx’ after being asked if he wanted photos of a child aged between 14 and 16, his sentencing hearing heard today.
The disgraced BBC News anchor admitted in July to three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages.
Opening the case against Edwards at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, prosecutor Ian Hope said WhatsApp conversation between the 63-year-old and Williams were clearly ‘sexual’ in nature.
He continued: ‘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 told the court 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’.
‘From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special,’ the prosecutor 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.’
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Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London this morning with a wheelie suitcase
In July, Edwards admitted three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp
Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain’s most prominent newsreaders
Earlier today, Edwards walked into Westminster Magistrates Court dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase.
He looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse flanked by his team of lawyers.
The maximum sentence Edwards could receive from the magistrates’ court is six months, but he could be sent to crown court if the presiding district judge decides they do not have appropriate powers to sentence the ex-presenter.
The three offences Edwards has pleaded guilty to can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A community order and sexual offender treatment programme could also be considered as alternatives to a custodial sentence.
In July, the former News At Ten host admitted three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages.
The maximum sentence Edwards could receive from the magistrates’ court is six months, but he could be sent to crown court if the presiding district judge decides they do not have appropriate powers to sentence the ex-presenter.
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 the convicted paedophile 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.
The BBC has 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.
Edwards, one of the BBC’s most famous stars who presented the Queen’s death and King Charles’ coronation, has not been on TV since he was named by his wife as the high-profile presenter at the centre of a sexual pictures scandal in July 2023.
In the completely separate case, Edwards was accused of paying £35,000 to a young person in exchange for sexual images.
The Met Police confirmed that no criminal offence was committed in this instance.
The mother of the teenager told The Sun that Edwards has caused ‘immense pain and suffering’ and should be locked up.
In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: ‘I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family – and all of your victims over the years.’
She said that her ‘heart breaks for every one’ of the young children ‘robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure’ and their families who have gone through what she has.
She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor ‘wormed’ his way into the teenager’s life from the age of 17.
The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards’ ‘pestering him for pictures’ and paying him ‘tens of thousands’.
She said Edwards ‘sent text messages calling him ‘princess’ to control him and keep him onside.’
Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: ‘That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.’
The teenager who was paid £35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21. He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt ‘groomed’ by the disgraced presenter.
Although no criminality was found from these allegations, the Met revealed in July this year that Edwards had separately been charged with making indecent images of children.
In a dramatic fall from grace, the force confirmed Edwards had been arrested on November 8, 2023 and charged on June 26, 2024.
The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world’s media
The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team
He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse
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
Alex Williams, 25, shared indecent images with Huw Edwards that led to the newsreader’s downfall. Williams is pictured here as a teenager on a family trip to a Welsh beauty spot
Five days later, Edwards pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked 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.
Mr Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah were questioned by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee last Wednesday.
Regarding the disgraced presenter’s pay, Mr Davie said: ‘We’ve made the formal request, and I can’t go into too much detail, but discussions are under way, but I’ve got no further news, apart from the BBC’s position is clear, the money should be returned, and we made the request.’
When asked if he set a deadline, he said: ‘I don’t believe we set a deadline… but we do expect to make progress and get an answer.’
Mr Shah told the same committee that Edwards had ‘damaged’ the BBC’s reputation.
He said: ‘There’s nothing more important than public trust in the BBC, and we are custodians of that trust and what Huw Edwards did damaged the reputation and the trust for the BBC so we take that very seriously indeed.
‘I should say, it was a shock to discover, when it was announced, when he was charged, that he had led this double life.
‘On the face of it, a trusted news presenter, but hidden, secretly, he was this figure who did the most appalling things. I mean, let’s never forget the victims.’
He added that he ‘knew him’, having overseen current affairs at the BBC decades ago, and said that other staff who worked with him ‘feel angry and betrayed’ by Edwards.
The relevant images range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as Category C.
They include seven category A images, 12 category B images, and 22 category C images.
The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry Of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism.
Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen’s funeral
The star anchor’s prestigious career involved breaking the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and both Prince William and Prince Harry’s weddings. Pictured with Justin Welby on May 6, 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
Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), ‘making’ an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts.
It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic ‘pop-up’ mechanism.
In the case of Edwards, he received the illegal images as part of a WhatsApp conversation.
Speaking in Edwards’ defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC has said that his client had not ‘created’ the images ‘in the traditional sense of the word’.
The maximum prison sentence for making an indecent image of a child is 10 years.
Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years.
The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image, and a community order for category C.
Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light
A number of potential defences to the charge exist, including not seeing the images and having no reason to believe that the images were indecent, having a legitimate reason to possess the images, or if the images were unsolicited and not kept for an unreasonable amount of time.
Aggravating features to be taken into account for Edwards include that the images included moving images, and the young age of the child thought to be seven to nine years old in two of the category A images.
Mitigating factors are Edwards’ early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health issues, and his remorse.
During his four decades at the corporation, Edwards was among the broadcasting teams leading coverage of historic events including the late Queen’s funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023.
Edwards also announced the late Queen’s death on the BBC in September 2022.
The former presenter was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland on July 5 2023, two days before The Sun’s article about the ‘unnamed presenter’ scandal was published.