- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
- Openda strike briefly sends Leipzig top of Bundesliga
- Goal-shy Man Utd have to 'step up', says Ten Hag
- India bowl out Bangladesh for 127 in T20 opener
- Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest
- Beckett's belief rewarded as Bluestocking storms to Arc glory
- Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves in razor-edge US election
- Flash flooding kills three in northern Thailand
- Kaur leads India to victory over Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup
- Juventus held by Cagliari after late penalty drama
- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
BBC questioned over ex-anchor Huw Edwards indecent child images scandal
The BBC is facing questions in the aftermath of its former star presenter Huw Edwards pleading guilty in an indecent child images scandal, particularly over the salary he received after his arrest.
Ex-news anchor Edwards, 62, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three counts of making indecent images of children, having resigned from the BBC in April on "medical advice" six months after he was first arrested.
The crimes occurred between December 2020 and August 2021, with Edwards receiving 41 indecent images of children over WhatsApp. Most children were aged 13 to 15 and one was between seven and nine.
The broadcaster acknowledged that it was "made aware in confidence" by the police that Edwards was arrested in November "on suspicion of serious offences".
He was already suspended from the BBC at the time, following allegations that he paid a young man for explicit images, which unfolded in July 2023. He remained on the payroll until he left the company in April this year.
BBC director Tim Davie said the broadcaster was "very shocked" at the details that came to light during the trial. However, Davie defended the BBC's decision not to make the November arrest public or fire Edwards since he had not yet been charged.
The broadcaster had earlier said that Edwards would have been dismissed "immediately" if he was charged while he was still employed there.
While it is not clear exactly how much the BBC knew about the allegations at the time of arrest, it did not know about the ages of the children involved.
"We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences," Davie said.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy on Thursday questioned Davie over the BBC's handling of the scandal and the use of public funds to pay Edwards' salary.
"Obviously I am particularly concerned to make sure that people have confidence in the BBC," Nandy said.
Edwards has not commented on the allegations.
- Public funds -
The broadcaster is funded by a compulsory licence fee charged to every household with a television.
Edwards continued to be paid his salary of over £475,000 ($605,000) while he was suspended, which included a £40,000 pay rise in 2023-2024, one of the highest salaries at the company despite not being on air since July 2023.
Presenting the BBC's flagship 10 pm news bulletin since 2003, Edwards led coverage of key events, such as the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III.
However his 40-year career came to an end after allegations that he paid a young man to send him explicit images, which are not related to the ongoing charges.
The BBC found failures in its complaints process in a probe it conducted into its response to complaints from the young man's family.
A current BBC employee and a former staff member have been critical of another internal inquiry which has not been made public, after they told the BBC last year they had received "inappropriate messages" from Edwards.
The BBC's brand has been built on public trust, but in recent years the broadcaster has been dogged by scandals which saw some big names revealed as serial sex offenders and reports of a culture of covering-up for its star presenters.
In 2012, the BBC was shaken to its core after revelations of its decades-long cover-up of presenter Jimmy Savile, a fixture on children's television who was exposed after his death as a predatory paedophile who had raped and molested minors for decades.
The broadcaster apologised and launched an independent investigation which concluded in 2016 that a culture of fear and celebrity deference had enabled Savile's activities.
But six years later in 2022 the BBC admitted to failing to probe claims of sexual misconduct made against BBC DJ and TV host Tim Westwood, with multiple sexual scandals involving other presenters cropping up as well.
A.Malone--AMWN