Hugh Edwards named as presenter at center of BBC scandal

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Hugh Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter facing charges of paying for explicit sexual images, as the Metropolitan Police said they found no evidence of any criminal offence.

The decision by his wife Vicki Flind to name Edwards on Wednesday night ended days of speculation over the identity of the presenter at the center of a media storm over her alleged relationships with a number of young men.

In a statement issued on his behalf to the PA news agency, Flind said he suffered from serious mental health problems. He said the decision to name Edwards was “mainly out of concern for his mental well-being and the safety of our children”.

“As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years. The events of the past few days have made matters worse, he has suffered another serious incident and is now being admitted to the hospital where he will remain for the foreseeable future.

He added that Edwards would respond to the stories that were published when he was “well enough to do so”.

Edwards is one of the BBC’s best-known news readers, leading coverage of Britain’s most important state and international events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III.

Welsh journalist who has been the lead presenter of the Flagship news at ten The evening program has been the broadcaster’s highest-paid newsreader for two decades, earning more than £430,000 last year. The 61-year-old, who lives in London with his wife and five children, has spoken about his depression in the past.

British media chose not to identify Edwards due to UK privacy laws, which created new legal risks for publishers and broadcasters. Nevertheless, the presenter’s identity was known to many in the media industry, including the BBC, and has been circulated on social media since the weekend.

The decision by Edwards’ wife to name him will come as a relief to BBC bosses, who have been under pressure from inside their own newsrooms and from politicians and former journalists to identify the presenter. However, questions will remain over the corporation’s handling of the matter, and whether it should have done more to investigate the allegations earlier.

Also on Wednesday evening the police concluded that the presenter had not broken any law. Detectives from the Met’s specialist Crime Command said they had found no evidence to suggest any criminal offense was committed by the presenter, who was suspended by the BBC on Sunday.

In a statement, the Met said: “To reach this decision, (the specialist unit) has spoken to a range of parties, including the BBC and the alleged complainant and the alleged complainant’s family via another police force. There is no further police action. As such, the Met Office has advised the BBC that it can continue with its internal investigation.

The BBC said: “Police previously asked us to pause our fact-finding investigation and we will now take that work forward, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst remaining mindful of our duty of care. ” Everyone is involved.”

Many allegations have been leveled against the presenter. The Sun first reported a family’s claims that their child was paid thousands of pounds by a BBC presenter for explicit photos over three years. On Monday, a lawyer representing the young man dismissed the claims as “nonsense”.

On Tuesday afternoon, the BBC said abusive messages had been sent to a second young man after prompting the presenter’s identity to be revealed on social media. The Sun then reported claims from a 23-year-old man that the presenter broke coronavirus lockdown rules to meet him in February 2021.

Flind herself is a former BBC employee and edited the late night political program This week Andrew stayed with Neill for a decade before leaving in 2016 to set up Peston Political talk show on ITV. He did not respond to a request for comment from the FT.

Former BBC journalist John Sopel said on Twitter: “This is a horrific and shocking episode where there was no criminality but perhaps a complicated private life. That doesn’t seem very personal anymore. I hope this gives some reason to think. They really need it. I want@thehuweedwardsWell.”