The mother of a teenager who was sent sexual messages by fallen BBC star Huw Edwards says he caused ‘immense pain and suffering’ and should be locked up.
Edwards, 63, is due to be sentenced today at Westminster Magistrates’ Court having admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another paedophile on WhatsApp.
The images included seven category A images, the most serious classification, with two involving a child aged around seven to nine. He could face up to 10 years in jail.
The mother of a young man who Edwards paid tens of thousands of pounds to in return for sexually explicit pictures – which is separate to the offences for which he will be sentenced – told The Sun she wants him to be jailed.
Huw Edwards is pictured leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court in July 2024
In a powerful open letter published by the newspaper, she said: ‘I am today writing this open letter to make you understand the immense pain and suffering you have caused me, my son, my family, your own family – and all of your victims over the years.’
She said that her ‘heart breaks for every one’ of the young children ‘robbed of their innocence forever for your sick pleasure’ and their families who have gone through what she has.
She wrote of how her son was happy before the disgraced news anchor ‘wormed’ his way into the teenager’s life from the age of 17.
The distressed mother said her son began having problems with drink and drugs, which was further fuelled by Edwards’ ‘pestering him for pictures’ and paying him ‘tens of thousands’.
She said Edwards: ‘Sent text messages calling him ‘Princess’ to control him and keep him onside.’
Concluding the letter, she told Edwards: ‘That you have lost everything is no consolation to us. You will receive your punishment in court.’
Police officers clear the way as former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on July 31
Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender
The teenager who was paid £35,000 by the former BBC star is now 21.
He allegedly was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and said he felt ‘groomed’ by the disgraced presenter.
The young man, who actively defended Edwards at the time, has claimed he was in a ‘troubled state of mind’ when he first reached out to the ex News at Ten anchor.
He was homeless and in a last ditch attempt for help began messaging celebrities online. Edwards was the only one to respond and sent him £500 for a hotel for a few nights.
After this he alleged that Edwards would ask him for things in return, which he felt unable to refuse because of the ‘power’ of the broadcaster.
However, it all came crashing down, when the then teenager’s mother found the messages between the pair for a rendezvous at Cardiff train station.
Footage showed the stepfather confronting Edwards at a train station as he waited to meet the teen.
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 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
The mother then contacted her son to say his stepfather was on his way to confront Edwards.
It is understood that this message was relayed to Edwards who then made a swift exit on the next train back to London without their meeting taking place.
The stepfather then attempted to make an official complaint to the BBC nearby regional office where he was given a number to call BBC London instead.
The stepfather claims this number did not work but eventually the family managed to get in touch with the BBC’s Audience Service who sent the case to the organisation’s Corporate Investigations team.
The family then went to The Sun newspaper who broke the shocking claim that Edwards had paid for explicit photos last year.
Before the scandal broke last year, Edwards was one of the BBC’s most famous stars where he covered major events for BBC News including the Queen’s death and King Charles’s coronation.
Edwards, of Wandsworth, wore a dark blue suit with a blue tie in the dock
Huw Edwards pleaded guilty to receiving 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine (Edwards is seen leaving court)
Edwards was seen for the last time on the BBC as he covered King Charles’ visit to Scotland on July 5, 2023, two days before the article about the ‘un-named presenter’ came out.
There was 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, and eventually Edwards’ wife confirmed it was him.
He resigned from the BBC in disgrace in April this year, but in June he was charged with possession of indecent images of children.
This was days after The BBC’s annual report revealed 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.
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.
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
But in August, the BBC asked him hand back the £200,000 salary he earned after being arrested.
The corporation knew the 62-year-old presenter had been arrested last November but continued to pay his salary until he resigned on medical advice this April.
The BBC added that Edwards had ‘undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute’, but it has not confirmed whether legal action will be taken if he does not return the money.
It was later revealed that police had uncovered the images sent to the newsreader by chance while investigating Alex Williams, 25, who sent ‘evil’ images to four others.
He shared 41 indecent images with Edwards in an abhorrent WhatsApp chat.
Among the sickening trove of abusive pictures shared by the sex offender were two showing a boy as young as seven.
Williams, from Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, admitted possessing and distributing child sex images and having 58 prohibited computer-generated images of children.
The images were slammed by a judge as ‘evil’ and Williams received a suspended sentence of 12 months.
No child abuse pictures were found on the former BBC news presenter’s phone.
A statement from the corporation said: ‘There is nothing more important than the public’s trust in the BBC; the BBC board is the custodian of that trust.
‘The board has met a number of times over the last week to review information provided by the executive relating to Huw Edwards. The board’s focus has been principally around two issues.
‘Firstly, what was known in the lead up to Mr Edwards being charged and pleading guilty last Wednesday to making indecent images of children.
‘And, secondly, the specifics of the BBC’s handling of the complaints and the BBC’s own investigations into Mr Edwards, prior to his resignation on April 22, 2024.’
The statement went on to say: ‘Today, the board has authorised the executive to seek the return of salary paid to Mr Edwards from the time he was arrested in November last year.
‘Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money.
‘He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.’
Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away from court
It also announced that the board has commissioned an independent review that will ‘make recommendations on practical steps that could strengthen a workplace culture in line with BBC values’.
The BBC director-general said the corporation has ‘lessons to learn’ after the ‘shocking’ Jermaine Jenas, Edwards and Strictly scandals in a grovelling letter to staff.
Tim Davie said that changing the culture at the broadcaster would be a ‘critical priority’ – as he admitted ‘we have all felt let down’.
He told staff that he wanted to ‘acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC’, in an email sent on August 27.
The corporation has recently faced a string of scandals featuring top celebs, with Match of the Day star Jermaine Jenas being sacked for sending inappropriate messages to two female members of staff.
Mr Davie wrote: ‘Aside from the challenges of delivering such brilliant output, I want to acknowledge that this has been a demanding period for the BBC and everyone who works within it.
‘The shocking news about Huw Edwards and other stories, concerning some of our high profile shows, have put the BBC in the spotlight.
‘It can be challenging for us all when the BBC becomes the headline. We work for this wonderful organisation because we care about what it stands for and the role it plays in society’.
