A stern-faced Huw Edwards appeared at court today still wearing his wedding ring to receive his sentence for accessing sexual images of children as young as seven.
AT THE COURT
The disgraced BBC News anchor walked into Westminster Magistrates Court dressed in a dark blue cardigan, dark trousers and an open-topped white shirt and pulling a black wheelie suitcase.
The 63-year-old looked haggard as he scowled while passing a throng of photographers. He made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse, where protesters had gathered with placards reading ‘BBC Savile Syndrome’.
THE LAWSUIT
In July, the former News At Ten host admitted three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs of children after he was sent 41 images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams in vile WhatsApp messages.
The maximum sentence Edwards could receive from the magistrates’ court is six months, but he could be sent to crown court if the presiding district judge decides they do not have appropriate powers to sentence the ex-presenter.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The three offences Edwards has pleaded guilty to can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. A community order and sexual offender treatment programme could also be considered as alternatives to a custodial sentence.
Seven of the indecent images shared with Edwards by Williams were of the most serious type. Of those images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
READ ALSO – Tourist rushed to surgery room while on holiday after being BITTEN by a deadly spider
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police – receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy, with the convicted paedophile telling the newsreader the child was ‘quite young looking’ and that he had more images which were illegal.
Overall the charges cover a period between December 2020 and August 2021.
