The Attorney General is facing calls to review Huw Edwards‘ sentence after the disgraced BBC presenter was spared jail time.
Shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat has written to the Government’s top legal advisor to raise concerns about the television anchor escaping a prison sentence, the Mail can reveal.
Edwards walked free from court on Monday with a suspended prison sentence after he admitted accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.
The punishment has prompted questions over whether it was appropriate for his crimes and whether he should be behind bars.
Yesterday, Mr Tugendhat wrote to Lord Richard Hermer KC to ask him to formally review the decision under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme.
Huw Edwards leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court with his legal team following his sentencing on Monday
Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer is being urged to review the decision under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme
A mugshot released of the presenter showed him staring at the camera – dead eyed and gaunt – with silver stubble across his face
Shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat has written to the Government’s top legal advisor – Lord Richard Hermer
He said the decision appeared to be ‘inconsistent’ with the guidelines for Edwards’ offence, which usually carries custodial time.
‘It is crucial that sentences serve as a deterrent and reflect the serious nature of these crimes,’ he said.
‘As a national household name, the country have been shocked by the criminal activities of Mr Edwards. I am sure that they will be looking to the Government to lead by example and ensure that heinous crimes are punished swiftly and appropriately,’ he added.
‘I urge you to formally review this case under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. A reassessment would not only address public concern but also reinforce our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals and upholding justice.’
The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme allows anyone to ask for sentences to be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office if they think the sentence is not tough enough.
The review is usually conducted by the Attorney General and if they consider the sentence unduly lenient, they can ask the Court of Appeal to review it.
The development came as BBC boss Tim Davie yesterday defended paying Edwards £200,000 in wages – even after he was arrested on child-abuse allegations.
The disgraced former newsreader was flanked by members of his legal team as he walked into the courthouse
A court sketch of Edwards in the dock at Westminster Crown Court listening to his sentence
The 63-year-old looked haggard while passing a throng of the world’s media on his way into Westminster Magistrates’ Court
The Director General said the BBC remains determined to claw back the taxpayers’ money Edwards was paid in salary while suspended for half a year before eventually being sacked when he pleaded guilty in court.
Mr Davie said he could not see the 63-year-old anchorman back on the BBC again, but said it would not be appropriate to wipe long-serving Edwards from the corporation’s vast archives.
He told the Royal Television Society’s London convention: ‘The secret life this guy was leading was shocking.’
Mr Davie said the decision – made by himself and members of a senior team – not to sack Edwards upon being arrested in November last year was due to BBC guidelines.
He said: ‘We wrestled with this – it was an extremely tough decision.
‘We decided that, you know, pay continues until somebody’s charged. No one knew that gap was going to be so long.
‘I think it was the right decision.’
And he said the ‘overwhelming’ majority of people who have spoken to him about the issue understood the decision.
Mr Davie said: ‘I’m interested in what we can always learn from these things.
‘But I think we acted in good faith and did the right thing.
‘Anyone in this organisation who’s managed businesses – and I have overwhelmingly had people come up to and go: we understand the decision you made.
Edwards at the pinnacle of his career picking up a television award for Best Live Event for covering the late Queen’s funeral in June 2023
Huw Edwards shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to BBC Studios in London in June 2013. He enjoyed a glittering career until the scandal came to light
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 last July
‘We are a public organisation and we knew that decision we would have to be accountable for.’
He said the BBC was looking into whether it would be possible for an employee’s salary to be paid into a separate pot and released upon them being cleared, but withheld if they were convicted.
Mr Davie told the conference: ‘We want the money back and we’ve asked for it back, and we’re waiting to hear back.
‘There are discussions between the legal teams.’
He conceded the scandal had likely affected public trust in the BBC.
Mr Davie said: ‘There’s no doubt that an affair like this impacts our reputation. I think people are smart, and they’ll make their judgments.
‘I think, yeah, overall, there’s no doubt about that, these things impact your reputation, but you can maintain trust by doing the right thing.’
Mr Davie, asked if Edwards would work for the BBC again, said: ‘I can’t see that… for obvious reasons.’
He said the BBC would decide on a ‘case-by-case’ basis whether Edwards – who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth two years ago – would ever appear in archive footage rebroadcast.
He said: ‘I would never say never. There may be a documentary, a contextual piece, where we’re seeing images from people who are no longer working with us as being, frankly, disgraced.
‘That’s how we will operate. We’ll have the editorial control of that.’
Edwards avoided jail on Monday after being given a suspended six-month prison sentence for three counts of making indecent images of children. The youngest victim was as young as seven.
The former face of the BBC gave up to £1,500 to convicted paedophile Alex Williams who sent him dozens of awful images.
Edwards’ offending came to light after South Wales police seized Williams’ phone and discovered his WhatsApp conversations with the former BBC anchorman.
Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year. The investigation was unrelated to allegations reported in July 2023 that Edwards had paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexual images.
He was also ordered to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs.
Edwards was in a pay bracket of between £475,000 and £479,999 for 2023/24.