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.