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Huw Edwards has been named because the BBC presenter dealing with allegations over funds for sexually specific photographs, because the Metropolitan Police mentioned they’d discovered no proof of any legal offence.
The choice to call Edwards by his spouse Vicky Flind on Wednesday night time ends days of hypothesis in regards to the identification of the presenter on the heart of a media firestorm over his alleged relationships with numerous younger males.
In a press release issued to the PA information company on his behalf, Flind mentioned he was affected by critical psychological well being issues. She mentioned the choice to call Edwards was “primarily out of her concern for her psychological well-being and to guard our youngsters.”
“As is effectively documented, he has been handled for extreme despair lately. The occasions of the previous few days have made issues a lot worse, he has suffered one other critical episode and now he’s receiving hospital care the place he’ll stay for the foreseeable future”.
He added that Edwards would reply to tales that have been printed when he was “effectively sufficient to take action.”
Edwards is likely one of the BBC’s best-known newsreaders, directing its protection of the UK’s largest state and worldwide occasions, together with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III.
The Welsh journalist, who has been the principle presenter of the flagship information at ten night present for 20 years, he’s the station’s highest-paid newsreader, incomes greater than £430,000 final yr. The 61-year-old father of 5, who lives in London, has spoken previously about his despair.
British media selected to not establish Edwards as a result of UK privateness legal guidelines which have created new authorized dangers for publishers and broadcasters. Even so, the presenter’s identification was identified to many within the media business, together with inside the BBC, and has circulated on social media for the reason that weekend.
Edwards’ spouse’s choice to call him will come as a aid to BBC bosses, who’ve been below stress to establish the presenter each inside their very own newsroom and from politicians and former journalists. Questions will stay, nonetheless, in regards to the company’s dealing with of the matter and whether or not it ought to have performed extra to research the allegations sooner.
Additionally on Wednesday night time, police concluded that the presenter had not damaged any legal guidelines. Detectives from the Met’s crime commando mentioned they’d discovered no proof to counsel the presenter, who was suspended by the BBC on Sunday, had dedicated a legal offence.
In a press release, the Met mentioned: “In reaching this choice, [the specialist unit] they’ve spoken to numerous events, together with the BBC and the alleged whistleblower and the alleged whistleblower’s household, each via one other police drive. There isn’t a additional police motion. As such, the Met has knowledgeable the BBC that it might proceed with its inside investigation.”
The BBC mentioned: “Police have beforehand requested us to cease our investigative investigations and we are going to now proceed with that work, making certain due course of and a radical evaluation of the information, whereas being aware of our responsibility of care. everybody concerned.”
A memo to BBC workers from Director Basic Tim Davie seen by the Monetary Occasions mentioned that “it should little question be a troublesome time for a lot of after a difficult few days”.
He added: “I need to guarantee you that our fast concern is our responsibility to care for everybody concerned. That is nonetheless a really advanced set of circumstances. As we now have performed all through, our objective have to be to navigate via this with care and consideration.”
There have been a number of accusations towards the presenter. The Solar first reported on a household’s claims {that a} BBC presenter paid his son tens of 1000’s of kilos for specific photographs over three years. A lawyer representing the younger man on Monday referred to as these claims “rubbish.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the BBC mentioned a second younger man had obtained abusive messages after they hinted at revealing the presenter’s identification on social media. The Solar then reported claims by a 23-year-old that the presenter broke coronavirus lockdown guidelines to adjust to them in February 2021.
Flind is a former BBC worker and edited a late-night political present. This week with Andrew Neil for a decade earlier than leaving in 2016 to start out the peston Political discuss present on ITV. She didn’t reply to a request for remark from the FT.
Jon Sopel, a former BBC journalist, mentioned on Twitter: “This can be a horrific and stunning episode, the place there was no crime, however maybe a sophisticated personal life. That does not really feel very personal now. I hope that provides some meals for thought. They actually need to. Want@thehuwedwardsProperly.”
The Solar mentioned it will cooperate with the BBC’s inside investigative course of. “We are going to present the BBC group with a confidential, redacted file containing critical and far-reaching allegations that we now have obtained, together with some from BBC workers. The Solar has no plans to publish any additional allegations.”
He added that The Solar “at no level in our authentic story did it allege criminality and likewise took the choice to not title Mr Edwards or the younger man concerned within the allegations.”
Further reporting by Alistair Grey
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