David Yelland, former editor of the Sun from 1997 to 2003, has said the handling of the Huw Edwards story is now a crisis for the newspaper – and not the BBC.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘I wish @thehuwedwards well.
‘The Sun inflicted terror on Huw despite no evidence of any criminal offence.
‘This is no longer a BBC crisis, it is a crisis for the paper. Huw’s privacy must now be respected.
‘Social media also needs speedy reform.’
The Sun newspaper have insisted they did not allege criminality in their original story after the BBC presenter at the centre of the allegations was named as Huw Edwards.
In a statement tonight, the newspaper said: ‘We must also re-emphasise that The Sun at no point in our original story alleged criminality and also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations.’
A news report from the Sun last Friday said a then-unnamed BBC star had been accused of giving a young person ‘more than £35,000 since they were 17 in return for sordid images’.
