Sordid WhatsApp messages Huw Edwards exchanged with paedophile
Vile WhatsApp messages Huw Edwards exchanged with a convicted paedophile have been revealed for the first time, as the disgraced star was sentenced for child abuse offences.
The 63-year-old previously admitted three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday how Edwards had replied ‘yes xxx’ when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children.
Of the images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages ‘can be deceptive’ when told one of the subjects in an image was ‘quite yng looking’, before asking if he had ‘any more?’.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied ‘yes xxx’ when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages ‘can be deceptive’ when told one of the subjects in an image was ‘quite yng looking’, before asking if he had ‘any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
Outlining the evidence against the veteran broadcaster earlier, prosecutor Ian Hope said: ‘It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
‘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 continued: ‘From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special’.
‘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.’
Mr Hope said he offered to send 12 videos in December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that he could not see the latest batch but ‘the others were amazing’.
The court heard a new link contained a category C image of a child aged around 12 to 14 and a category A image.
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
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
‘Three-quarters of an hour later, Alex Williams again asks for ‘a Christmas gift after all the hot videos’ and Mr Edwards immediately responds ‘what do you need?’,’ the prosecutor continued.
‘Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.’
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told Edwards did not respond after a convicted paedophile sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13.
Mr Hope said: ‘On February 10, 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent – it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively.
‘There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as ‘read’.
‘A week later… a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children.
On February 19 2021, Williams asked ‘is the stuff I’m sending too young for you?’
‘The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying ‘don’t send underage’.’
The prosecutor said one of these was a category A video sent on June 10 2021 which was marked ‘read’ on WhatsApp, in which the children involved were around 13 to 15 years old.
Mr Hope said that in a later exchange, Edwards told Williams ‘go on’ when he was asked if he wanted ‘naughty pics and vids’ of somebody described as ‘yng (sic)’.
Mr Hope told the court: ‘In a later exchange on August 11 2021, Alex Williams says he has some ‘naughty pics and vids unsure if you’d like’. Mr Edwards tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams states ‘yng (sic)’.
The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world’s media
Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court
Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain’s most prominent newsreaders
‘Mr Edwards again tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams sends a category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9…’
‘Mr Edwards enquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image-sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram.
‘Alex Williams says the subject is ‘quite yng looking’ to which Mr Edwards responds it ‘can be deceptive’ and asks if he has ‘any more?’
‘Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal.
‘Mr Edwards says ‘Ah OK don’t’ and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as ‘looks young don’t he but he’s deffo 19.’
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
Mounting Edwards’ defence, Philip Evans KC claimed Edwards did not make payments to Alex Williams in order to receive indecent images of children.
Mr Evans told the court: ‘Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him.
‘Mr Edwards positively told Mr Williams not to send images of people who were underage.
‘He did not store any of those images on any device. He did not use them for any personal gratification and he did not gain any gratification from those indecent images.
‘He did not send them to anyone else onwardly and he has never sought similar images before from any source, and he has not sought similar images from any other source since.’
Mr Evans said Edwards was ‘truly sorry’ for how he has ‘damaged his family and his loved ones’, and for committing the offences.
Full timeline of Huw Edwards’ downfall
March 2023
Edwards announcing the news of Her Majesty’s death to the nation in September 2022
Huw Edwards signs new three-year deal with the BBC after praise for the way he led coverage of the Queen’s death.
It came after he was seen at the offices of the BBC’s biggest radio rival – Global – in August 2022. The News at Ten veteran admitted at the time he was ‘thinking about my future’.
In June that year he would pick up the best live event honour at the Tric Awards for being among those to cover the state funeral of the late Queen, and in February he received the Broadcast Awards’ special recognition award.
April 2023
Police were contacted but ‘no criminality was identified’.
May 6, 2023
Edwards hosts coverage of King Charles’ coronation as he lead the BBC broadcast of the historic event.
May 18, 2023
A family member of the young person, who was 17 at the time, made an in-person complaint about the behaviour of a BBC presenter.
May 19, 2023
A complainant contacted the BBC in a 29-minute call to the BBC’s audience services team, and the details were referred to the Corporate Investigations Team.
The family member reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop sending their family member cash.
The Corporate Investigations Team decided the complaint didn’t include an allegation of criminality, but merited more investigation.
The investigators email the complainant to get more information but they get no response.
June 6, 2023
After getting no reply to the email, the Corporate Investigations Team tries to call the complainant but the call does not connect.
However, the Sun reported later that the family said no one from the corporation phoned them for a proper interview after they complained.
The BBC said no more attempts to contact the family were made after this date, but that the case ‘remained open’.
July 5, 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
Huw Edwards is seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland.
July 6, 2023
The Sun informs BBC Press Office about allegations against the star presenter.
The BBC launches an ‘incident management group’ of top executives after becoming aware of new allegations ‘of a different nature’ against the presenter.
It is the first time Mr Davie or any executive directors were made aware of the case, according to the BBC.
A senior manager holds the first conversation with the presenter concerned.
It is agreed he should not appear on air while the allegations are investigated.
July 7, 2023
The Sun published its exclusive which alleged that a BBC presenter, unnamed at the time, paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content to someone beginning when they were 17.
But a lawyer acting on behalf of the young person told The Sun that evening there was ‘no truth’ to the claims.
The BBC said it would investigate and it made contact with the Metropolitan Police.
July 8, 2023
The complainant sends the BBC ‘materials related to the complaint’.
There is a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the star. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell all feel obliged to deny that they were the man in question.
July 9, 2023
A mocked up version of a reported Instagram message exchange between Edwards and a teenager
The BBC confirms that a male presenter has been suspended from all duties.
The Sun reports that the presenter allegedly made two phone calls to the young person and pleaded with them to call their mother to stop the investigation.
July 10, 2023
BBC representatives and Metropolitan Police detectives meet in the morning to discover if any crimes have been committed.
The young person claims through a lawyer that the allegations are ‘rubbish’.
In response, the Sun said it had ‘reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child’.
The parents stood by their account to the Sun and the stepfather was quoted in a story saying the allegations were originally put the the BBC ‘for an hour’.
July 11, 2023
Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations ‘incredibly seriously’
Director-general of the BBC Tim Davie defends the delay in speaking to the BBC presenter.
But the BBC admits there were ‘lessons to be learned’ prompting a boss to assess the protocols.
In the afternoon, new claims emerged from the BBC that the presenter sent threatening messages to a second young person.
It is claimed they met on a dating app, before the conversation moved to other platforms where the presenter revealed his identity.
He then allegedly sent a number of ‘threatening messages’ to the youngster, which the BBC has seen.
The Sun reported the star is also accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old stranger from a dating site.
July 12, 2023
Huw Edwards pictured with his wife Vicky Find in South London in 2018. She has since separated from the former broadcaster in the wake of his recent scandals
Huw Edwards is revealed as the BBC presented by his wife Vicky Flind.
She said he was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’.
The bombshell revelation came just moments after the police said they were ‘taking no further action’ in the case.
But BBC boss Mr Davie sent an email to staff informing them that an internal investigation would continue even though police were no longer involved.
The BBC reported fresh allegations from two current junior members of staff and one former member of staff who claim they were sent messages that made them uncomfortable.
July 12, 2023
Mr Davie asked for a second review of the BBC’s complaints protocols after it was revealed the family were only contacted twice by the corporation – despite the seriousness of the allegations.
November 8, 2023
Edwards is arrested, but tells noone.
Later speaking to MailOnline, one shocked former colleague and friend said: ‘Huw kept his arrest completely secret’.
They added: ‘It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged.’
February 27, 2024
The BBC apologised to the young person’s family, who’d complained about Edwards two months before he was suspended.
An independent report by Deloitte is published into the BBC’s complaints handling procedure
The publicly-funded broadcaster acknowledged that there had been ‘shortcomings’ in the way it had dealt with the case as it reviewed its complaints procedures.
April, 2024
Edwards took sanctuary in his beloved Wales and was being comforted in Carmarthenshire by his mother Aerona.
April 22, 2024
Edwards resigns from the BBC.
Broadcasting executive Stewart Purvis CBE said there is ‘relief across the BBC’ that the ‘extraordinarily damaging saga’ has been resolved.
He added that Edwards having ‘walked from the BBC’ will be viewed as ‘quite a successful outcome’ for the corporation.
June 26, 2024
Edwards is charged with the possession of indecent images of children.
Interrupting coverage of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement in the House of Commons, the BBC announced the breaking news on July 29.
According to the charge sheet, he was accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp.
July 23, 2024
The BBC’s annual report reveals Edwards was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, election specials and other television programming.
This salary marked an increase from 2022/23, when he was paid between £435,000 and £439,999 for 180 days presenting on BBC One, as well as news specials.
This was despite him being absent from screens from when the story first broke in July last year until his exit nine months later in April 2024.
But he stayed on the payroll while suspended, which is normal BBC policy, and was suffering from serious mental health issues and received in-patient hospital care.
The BBC confirmed at the time of his departure that he had not received a pay-off and was leaving ‘on the basis of medical advice from his doctors’.
Director general Tim Davie defended the pay and the rise, confirming there was ‘no settlement payment.’ He also said he was not going to ‘get into who’s spoken to who’ when asked if he had spoken to Edwards since his resignation.
July 31, 2024
Edwards remained silent as he left the court building surrounded by the press today
Edwards pleads guilty to making 41 indecent images of children – and faces jail.
The newscaster admitted he kept seven category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by a paedophile.
The sick child porn images showed youngsters aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He remained emotionless as he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, between December 2020 and August 2022.
His admission now leaves the former news star’s glittering four-decade career in tatters.
September 16, 2024
Edwards is due to be sentenced – and could face up to 10 years in jail.
