Huw Edwards is facing 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to making indecent images of children, which included two se*ual videos of a boy under nine.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The disgraced BBC News star, 62, kept seven category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind on his phone after being sent them on WhatsApp by another paedophile.
The sick stash of 41 child porn images showed youngsters aged between seven and 14, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
The veteran news broadcaster, who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II and presented coverage of her funeral, had a total of 41 foul pictures.
He remained emotionless as he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, between December 2020 and August 2022.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
His admission now leaves the former news star’s glittering four-decade career in tatters – and he faces up to 10 years in jail.
Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year and charged on June 26. He resigned from his £475,000-a-year role at BBC three months ago having kept news of his arrest a ‘secret’ from pals, former colleagues said.
The father-of-five moved out of the family home in Dulwich after separating from his TV producer wife, Vicky Flind.
COURT HEARD
The court heard that Edwards had been involved in online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 44 were indecent images of children.
The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.
Mr Hope told the court there was ‘no suggestion’ Edwards had ‘anything to with making the images or indeed doing anything beyond the opening of the images.’
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HOW HE WAS CONTACTED
He said the Welshman ‘engaged in an online chat’ with a ‘male’ who ‘initially contacted’ him via social media.
Mr Hope said a ‘thread of WhatsApp conversations between the two’ was ‘uncovered’, adding: ‘In the thread the man sent still and moving pornographic images to Edwards between December and April 2022.
‘The prosecution say that this was clearly with Mr Edwards’ approval, and the two chatted about a number of the images sent.
‘Approximately 277 images were sent to Mr Edwards, 41 of which comprised indecent images of children – so just over 10 per cent of the total number of images sent.
‘The bulk of those indecent images of children – 36 of them – were sent to Mr Edwards during a two month period during a two month period between December 2020 and February 2021.
