Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years after admitting accessing indecent images of children.
He will also be subject to 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days.
In July Edwards admitted three charges of “making” indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over Whatsapp.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday that the 63-year-old was “truly sorry” for how he has “damaged his family and his loved ones”, and for committing the offences.
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The court also heard Edwards had told Williams to “go on” when asked if he wanted “naughty pics and vids” of somebody described as young.
He sent hundreds of pounds after Williams asked for a “Christmas gift after all the hot videos”, the court was told.
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Prosecutor Ian Hope said: “Alex Williams says he wants some Air Force 1 trainers that cost around £100, and Mr Edwards offers to send him £200.”
Defence barrister Philip Evans KC said Edwards did not make payments in order to receive indecent images of children, telling the court: “Mr Edwards did not make payments in order for images to be sent to him, and he certainly did not make payments in order that indecent images would be sent to him.”
Edwards wrote “yes xxx” when he was asked by Williams if he wanted sexual images of a person whose “age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16”, the court heard.
The judge sentencing Edwards said his “long-earned reputation is in tatters”.
Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said: “Perhaps it does not need saying but you are of previous good character.”
The judge said he accepts Edwards had been of “exemplary” good character “having enjoyed a very successful career in the media”.
“It’s obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public,” he continued, adding that Edwards was “perhaps the most recognised newsreader-journalist”.
“It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters,” the judge said.
Going through the mitigating factors in the case, Goldspring said he believed the former broadcaster’s remorse was genuine and that his mental health at the time of the offences could have impaired his decision-making.
But the judge added that the financial and reputational damage Edwards suffered was “the natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself”.
He continued: “I am of the clear view that you do not present a risk or danger to the public at large, specifically to children.
“There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
The judge declined to make a sexual harm prevention order against Edwards.
Evans, defending, said Edwards “did not gain any gratification” from indecent images.
Huw Edwards said ‘go on’ to ‘naughty pics and vids’
Opening the case against the veteran broadcaster, Hope, prosecuting, said: “It is clear from the face of the Whatsapp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
“It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money – low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis – to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents, apparently off the back of sending pornographic images to Mr Edwards, about which images they chatted.
“Alex Williams has stated that the money was more generally to support him at university and amounted to around £1,000 to £1,500.”
Hope continued: “From that chat in December 2020, Alex Williams said that he had ‘a file of vids and pics for you of someone special’.
“Mr Edwards immediately queried who the subject was and was then sent three images of seemingly the same person, from two of which images the subject’s age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16.
“These two were category C indecent images of children in which the child was exposing his penis.
“Alex Williams stated that he had ‘12 videos and 42 pics I’ve sent you a video of him before’.
“Shortly after Alex Williams asked: ‘want me to send you the full file?’ Mr Edwards responded ‘Yes xxx…’ immediately following which Alex Williams sent to Mr Edwards around 30 attachments, about half of which were category C indecent images of children.”
Hope said Edwards did not respond after convicted paedophile Williams sent him a sexual video of children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13.
The prosecutor said: “On February 10 2021, a category A video was sent which is notable because the age of one of the children involved was significantly younger than in the rest of the images sent – it showed several acts of penetration between two children aged around seven to nine and 11 to 13 respectively.
“There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked as ‘read’.
“A week later… a number of attachments were sent which included two category B videos and four category C still images comprising indecent images of children.
“On February 19 2021, Alex Williams asked: ‘is the stuff I’m sending too young for you?’
“The next response from Mr Edwards is dated February 22 2021 saying: ‘don’t send underage’.”
Hope continued: “In a later exchange on August 11, 2021, Alex Williams says he has some ‘naughty pics and vids unsure if you’d like’. Mr Edwards tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams states ‘yng [sic]’.
“Mr Edwards again tells him to ‘go on’ and Alex Williams sends a Category A moving image showing a male child aged around 7 to 9…”
“Mr Edwards inquires where the video is from and Alex Williams says an image sharing group on another social media platform which they have both also used, Telegram.
“Alex Williams says the subject is ‘quite yng looking’ to which Mr Edwards responds it ‘can be deceptive’ and asks if he has ‘any more?’
“Alex Williams says he has but he is not sure if Mr Edwards would like them as they are illegal.
“Mr Edwards says: ‘Ah ok don’t’ and the exchange immediately following concerns a series of images which Alex Williams describes as ‘looks young don’t he but he’s deffo 19′.”
The relevant images in Edwards’ case range from the most serious category, known as category A, to the least serious, known as category C.
They include seven category A images, 12 category B images and 22 category C images.
Of the most serious images received by Edwards, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine.
The Sentencing Council, a public body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, defines category A images as those involving penetrative sexual activity, sexual activity with an animal, or sadism.
Category B images are those involving non-penetrative sexual activity, while category C images are indecent images that do not fall into A or B.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), “making” an indecent image has been broadly interpreted by the courts.
It can range from opening an attachment to an email containing an image, to accessing pornographic websites in which indecent photographs of children appear by way of an automatic “pop-up” mechanism.
BBC in attempt to recoup pay Huw Edwards received after his arrest
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 convicted paedophile Williams 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.
Edwards was arrested in November but continued to receive a BBC salary until his resignation on medical advice in April. The BBC is trying to retrieve an estimated £200,000 paid during that time.
A BBC spokesperson said after Edwards was sentenced: “We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.”
Edwards was charged in June but the fact of his arrest and charge was not made public until late July, days before his first court appearance.
He has been convicted on charges that are completely separate to allegations published by The Sun last year, which prompted his initial suspension from the BBC, that he had paid a young person for sexual images.
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