Huw Edwards given six-month suspended sentence

Huw Edwards admitted taking indecent photographs of a minor and was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said the former BBC news anchor’s offending was “extremely serious” but did not pose a risk or harm to children.

Judge Goldspring accepted Edwards had no recollection of seeing the images at the time of the offences due to his mental illness. The court heard Edwards had been struggling with his sexual orientation since 1994 and was now a “clear risk” of suicide.

Edwards must also participate in a sex offenders treatment programme, 25 rehabilitation sessions and be on the sex offenders register for seven years. He was ordered to pay £3,128 costs and a victim surcharge.

Speaking after the verdict, Lynne Perry, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo, said: “Hugh Edwards has been a trusted public figure at the centre of the national media for decades. In the midst of this case, we must not lose sight of the fact that at the centre of it are children just seven years old who are the victims of horrific sexual abuse.”

“Tens of thousands of children are sexually exploited and solicited online every year, and we call on tech companies to take action to stop abusive content being shared on their platforms.”

Edwards, who pleaded guilty in July to three charges of producing indecent images of children, apologised in court on Monday (September 16) for “betraying the invaluable trust of so many people”. The former news anchor admitted to possessing 41 images, including of victims aged between seven and nine.

The defendant had been chatting with convicted paedophile Alex Williams and 41 images were sent to him via WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, the court heard.

“It is clear from the recovered WhatsApp chats that some of the chats between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards were sexual in nature,” prosecutor Ian Hope told Westminster Magistrates’ Court. “It is also clear that Mr Edwards paid Alex Williams, from time to time, non-insignificant sums of several hundred pounds as gifts and presents which Mr Williams requested directly on a number of occasions.”

Huw Edwards paid £1,500 for indecent images of children

Edwards, 63, accessed at least 377 sexual images through direct messages, seven of which were the most serious category A indecent images of children, 12 were category B and 22 were category C. The prosecution said Edwards gave Williams up to £1,500 in exchange for the images, telling him he would use the money to go to university.

The court heard that when asked if the content was “too juvenile”, Edwards replied a few days later that “it should not be sent to minors”.

Asked by Williams if he wanted content from someone described as “yng,” Edwards replied: “Please.”

The court also heard that when Williams asked if he wanted explicit images of a person “determined to be between 14 and 16 years of age”, Edwards replied: “Yes, xxx”.

The phone Edwards used to contact Williams has not been recovered but messages showed WhatsApp was not the only way the pair communicated, the court heard. The pair only met once in person.

Philip Evans, appearing for the disgraced broadcaster, said evidence that his client had no wish to receive the illegal footage should be regarded as an extenuating factor.

Evans added that Edwards, who has been diagnosed with arteriosclerosis, a type of heart disease, and suffers from depression and other mental illnesses, wanted to apologise to the British public.

“Through me, he wishes to let the court know how deeply remorseful he is. He recognises the abhorrent nature of these indecent images and the hurt they have caused to those depicted in them,” Mr Evans said. “He recognises the hurt and damage they have caused his family and loved ones. For all of this he is deeply remorseful and genuinely regrets having committed these offences.”

Williams pleaded guilty to seven charges and received a 12-month suspended sentence in March.