Huw Edwards, a former BBC presenter who was suspended from his duties last year, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three charges of making indecent images of children, London's Metropolitan Police confirmed to The Times.
Edwards, who worked at the news organisation for 40 years before his suspension in July 2023 and resignation in April, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London. The charges stem from offences committed between December 2020 and April 2022 and involve images shared in a WhatsApp chat. During a 26-minute hearing, the court heard that an unnamed man had messaged the 62-year-old news veteran via social media and then sent hundreds of sexual images between December 2020 and August 2021, including 41 indecent images of children.
Seven images were classified as “Category A,” the most indecent. The children in most of those photos were between 13 and 15 years old, although one photo featured a child between 7 and 9 years old. After receiving a final “Category A” image in August 2021, Edwards told the anonymous sender to stop sending the illegal images, although they continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.
“Access to indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, leaving deep and lasting trauma for these victims,” said Claire Brinton of the Crown Prosecution Service, which decides whether a case should go to court.
Edwards pleaded guilty days after details of his November arrest became public this week and months after police launched an investigation into the incident into 2023. During an unrelated investigation last year, South Wales police officers seized Edwards’ phone and discovered the WhatsApp conversation.
The embattled former presenter is due back in court for sentencing on September 16, police said.
A BBC representative did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment.
Philip Evans, Edwards’ defence lawyer, denied allegations that his client “in the traditional sense of the word, created an image of any kind”. He also denied that Edwards stored or distributed the images and said his client “has not sought out similar images anywhere else”. The newsreader “is not only of good character, but of exceptional character”, Evans added.
Edwards had been among the BBC's highest-paid stars, with an annual salary of at least $565,000.
Last July, Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind confirmed in a statement that the veteran presenter was the person at the centre of the allegations, which were first reported by the Sun without mentioning any names. The allegations arose as Edwards was struggling with mental health issues and was hospitalised for “another serious episode”, Flind said at the time.
“In these circumstances and given Huw’s condition, I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and all others involved in these very disturbing events be respected,” she said. “I know Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been affected by recent media speculation. We hope this statement will put that to rest.”
The BBC suspended Edwards last July amid the allegations. In April, he resigned from the BBC, citing ill health.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
