BBC staff have been forced to defend themselves against being ‘paedo protectors’ in the wake of the Huw Edwards scandal which rocked the under-fire corporation.
The Welshman, who was previously the BBC’s glittering star presenter, smiled as he was spared jail at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
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 but was handed six months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
His punishment has been criticised by lawyers and activists as being too lenient, with one child sex abuse campaigner branding the justice system ‘ludicrous, absurd and embarrassing’ as a result.
It is the latest in a long line of damning controversies for the broadcaster, as public trust in the news company which employed Jimmy Savile plummets.
Staff at the BBC even admitted they face accusations of being ‘paedo protectors’ while out filming and slammed a culture of protecting ‘top talent’ where they feel unable to raise grievances at the risk of their career, The Times reported.
Huw Edwards leaves Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being spared jail yesterday
A mugshot released of the presenter by Scotland Yard showed him staring at the camera
Staff at the BBC admitted they face accusations of being ‘paedo protectors’ while out filming and slammed a culture of protecting ‘top talent’ where they feel unable to raise grievances
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
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Edwards begged convicted paedophile Alex Williams to ‘go on’ when asked if he wanted ‘naughty pics and vids’ of somebody described as ‘yng (sic)’.
The court also heard Edwards paid Williams hundreds of pounds after he sent him pornographic images, but his defence barrister Philip Evans KC said the broadcaster did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children.
The prosecution said Williams asked Edwards for a ‘Christmas gift after all the hot videos’. Prosecutor Ian Hope said: ‘Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.’
Of the indecent images he received, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
The BBC said following the sentencing: ‘We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.’
And his BBC ex-colleagues are disgusted by his crimes and believe he should have been sent to prison and forced to give back the £200,000 he was paid by their bosses after his arrest.
One former colleague told MailOnline: ‘He should be in prison. He was chatting with a paedo for four years who then sent him child porn. And he didn’t go to the police. Yet he’s in court trying to suggest he is a victim. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so abhorrent’.
Edwards held his hands together and steadied himself as Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, sentenced him yesterday
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)
Another insider said that Edwards’ crimes were ‘so sick’.
The horror felt by colleagues was illustrated at by Clive Myrie as he covered the story in the News at Ten bulletin, hours after the sentencing of the former news anchor.
He said: ‘The BBC says that Edwards betrayed the folks here quite frankly, including his colleagues in the news division,’ gesturing at the desks of staff working behind him.
Others told The Times that the ensuing destruction of trust in the corporation has made it more difficult to do their jobs.
One high-profile presenter said: ‘People are fuming. It just makes everyone trust us less.’
Another told the newspaper that there was widespread dismay at the details that emerged in court, with many ‘disgusted to learn the details’ and ‘incredulous’ at the idea Edwards felt he was an outsider at the BBC.
The court heard Edwards blames his fragile ego, alpha-male father, his repressed sexual interest in men and depression for engaging with the paedophile.
Huw Edwards arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London with a wheelie suitcase
Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away in a black Mercedes
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
One report highlighted how Edwards had been psychologically damaged by his upbringing with a ‘monstrous’ father, and how he felt like an ‘outsider in the BBC’ after failing to get into Oxford or Cambridge university and ended up ‘at Cardiff instead’.
Alan Collins, a partner in the sex abuse team at Hugh James law firm, said: ‘Rarely does such a prosecution bring closure, because the criminal case is often perceived to be about the offender as opposed to the survivor.
‘This is why some victims choose to bring their own civil claims – this is often what brings them a sense of closure.
‘Compensation is aimed to restore the victim to where they were before the abuse, and so can be extremely important.
‘For example, this can help pay for necessary treatment to help victims to gain closure and move forward with their lives.
‘Amounts received in compensation are not determined by the sentence but by the nature and extent of the harm suffered.
‘We prefer not to think about these crimes, but in the age we live in we know there is a market for images.
‘For our children and young people there is a normalisation whereby there is some kind of expectation to take and share intimate images.
‘Very young children are given access to devices which renders them especially vulnerable and leads to a normalisation of what is clearly wrong and often a criminal offence.’
Presenters at the corporation have reported ‘feeling sick’ by the ordeal, with one telling the BBC: ‘For staff, particularly those who worked alongside him, it’s been a difficult year.
‘There have been so many twists and turns, it has felt like a blow every time another horror has been unveiled. It has felt unending.’
BBC chair Samir Shah told the House of Lords’ communications and digital committee that he, among other colleagues, ‘feel angry and betrayed’.
When sending an email to staff after Edwards had been charged and pleaded guilty, he branded the ex-presenter ‘the villain of this piece’.
A journalist at the BBC told The Times that staff are ‘afraid’ of reporting bad behaviour against someone ‘who is regarded as talent’.
‘You mark yourself out as a troublemaker and it will affect your career.’
The Edwards scandal is the latest of many to rock the broadcaster, with similar disturbing stories stretching back decades as flagship faces including Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall hid a secret dark side.
