Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards given six-month suspended sentence for possession of child pornography

He was long the BBC’s most famous face and highest-paid journalist. Former presenter Huw Edwards was sentenced on Monday 16 September to a six-month suspended prison sentence and a mandatory treatment order for possession of child pornography, the conclusion of an embarrassing case for the British public media group.

Huw Edwards, 63, who has been inseparable from the most significant events in the United Kingdom since the early 2000s, pleaded guilty in July, which spared him a long and high-profile trial.

He faced a possible ten-year prison sentence, but the judge at Westminster Magistrates Court followed the prosecution’s submissions, which had highlighted his psychological problems and “sincere remorse” expressed. “Your reputation is in tatters”Judge Paul Goldspring told the presenter, as he delivered the sentence.

During the hearing, Huw Edwards’ lawyer Philip Evans said his client acknowledged “the repulsive nature” images he had received and that he was “deeply sorry”. “He betrayed the inestimable trust of so many people.”he insisted, while Huw Edwards had only spoken at the start of the hearing to confirm his identity.

“He has not only betrayed the BBC, but also the public”

The affair caused a huge stir in Britain and embarrassed the BBC. In early August, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “shocked and horrified” by the case. “We are appalled by his crimes. He has not only betrayed the BBC, but also the public who trusted him.”a BBC spokesperson responded in a written statement.

Huw Edwards joined the BBC in 1984. A political journalist, he became the presenter of the 6pm news in 1994, before becoming the face of the 10pm news. Covering major events, such as the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Huw Edwards was the channel’s highest-paid journalist.

His fall came abruptly in the summer of 2023, when the tabloid The Sun claimed he had paid a teenager for sexual images and was suspended. No charges were brought at the time. But new allegations led to the courts charging him in June 2024, two months after he resigned. This time, the investigation shows that Huw Edwards was in contact on WhatsApp with a man who sent him child pornography images. The charges against him relate to 41 images, some of which show a child aged between 7 and 9, received between December 2020 and August 2021.

These illegal images found had been “clearly sent with Mr Edwards’ agreement”according to the prosecution. Huw Edwards’ lawyer insisted that his client had only received the images, without sharing them.

The affair has dealt a major blow to the BBC. Severely criticised for its handling of the scandal, it has carried out an internal investigation concluding that its procedures for dealing with complaints about the behaviour of its employees were inadequate. The broadcasting giant, which said it “shocked” by the case, announced that it was seeking to recover the salaries paid to its former presenter after his arrest last November.