Huw Edwards, once the BBC’s most senior news presenter, has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
He admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another man on WhatsApp, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
They included seven category A images, the most serious classification – two of which showed a child aged between about seven and nine.
Until last year, Edwards was one of the main presenters on BBC One’s News at Ten and often fronted coverage of major national events.
Julia Quenzler
Edwards was flanked by police officers and surrounded by photographers as he entered and left the court on Wednesday.
He was expressionless outside court and inside the hearing, which lasted for less than half an hour.
As the charges were read to him, he replied “guilty” three times, quietly and calmly.
The court heard he had been involved in online chat on WhatsApp from December 2020 with an adult man, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
Under the law, images can mean both video clips and still pictures. The Crown Prosecution Service said most of the category A images were estimated to show children aged between 13 and 15, but two clips showed a child aged about seven to nine.
Category A images show serious abuse including penetrative sexual activity.
He also had 12 category B pictures, which involve non-penetrative sexual activity, and 22 photographs in category C, which covers other indecent images. The category B and C pictures showed children aged between 12 to 15.
On 2 February 2021, the other man asked whether what he was sending was too young, to which Edwards asked him not to send any underage images, the court heard.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021 – a category A film featuring a young boy.
The man told Edwards the boy was quite young looking, and that he had more images which were illegal, the court was told.
Edwards told him not to send any illegal images.
No more were sent, and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, making indecent images can have a wide definition in the law and can include receiving them via social media.
Edwards’s barrister Philip Evans KC told the court: “There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr Edwards has… in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.”
He added that Edwards “did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else”.
Mr Evans also said the former broadcaster had experienced “both mental and physical” health issues.
The barrister told the court his client “was not just of good character, but of exceptional character”.
Edwards has not been on air since last July following newspaper reports claiming he paid a young person for sexually explicit images.
He resigned from the BBC on medical grounds in April.
The Metropolitan Police said the allegations in the current case were separate from other claims that were widely reported and investigated last year.
“These allegations did not form part of the matter which was considered by police in July 2023. They were investigated separately as a standalone case,” a police spokesperson said.
In a statement after Wednesday’s hearing, Claire Brinton of the CPS said: “Accessing indecent images of underage people perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, which has deep, long-lasting trauma on these victims.
“The CPS and the Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal material involving children via WhatsApp.”
Children’s charity the NSPCC said: “Online child sexual abuse offences can have a devastating impact on victims and we should be in no doubt about the seriousness of Edwards’ crimes.”
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) also said: “This is criminal material, including images depicting the most extreme category of sexual abuse, which have real and lasting effects on victims.”
If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has information about services that can provide support and advice.
