The BBC will keep looking into whether its well-known presenter, now known as News at Ten anchor Huw Edwards, violated its codes of conduct.
A young individual with alleged drug problems was the source of the obscene photos allegedly purchased by Mr. Edwards for £35,000. The young person vehemently denied that anything improper occurred.
Since the initial charges, further allegations have surfaced, including that he allegedly sent threatening messages to a second individual, who was in his or her early 20s.
The authorities have since determined that there is no proof of wrongdoing, and the BBC was instructed to suspend its inquiry into the claims “while they scope future work.”
A spokeswoman said this evening: “The police had previously requested that we pause our fact-finding investigations. We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, while continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.”
The newspaper The Sun, which broke the initial story, declared that it will “cooperate” with the BBC investigation.
“The Sun will cooperate with the BBC’s internal investigation process,” a spokesperson stated.
We will give the BBC team a confidential, redacted dossier outlining the serious and extensive claims that we have gotten, some of which came from BBC employees.
The BBC probe is anticipated to examine a number of topics, including why it waited so long to speak with the presenter despite a complaint being filed in May.
Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, stated that the organization had received a “very serious” but non-criminal complaint on May 19.
Apparently, an internal inquiry did not begin until nearly seven weeks later, on July 6, when Mr. Edwards was finally questioned about this complaint.
The corporation made two attempts to get in touch with the complainant, who are allegedly the young person’s mother and stepfather, but got no response. Another aspect of the investigation will likely focus on whether it was vigorous enough.
Mr. Davie stated during a news conference on the BBC’s annual report: “Of course there will be lessons to be learned, and how processes could be improved.”
