Former long-time BBC presenter Huw Edwards charged with making ...
Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.
The Metropolitan Police says the offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022.
What's next?Edwards has been bailed to appear in a London court on Wednesday local time.
Former BBC TV news presenter Huw Edwards, a household name in Britain, has been charged with three counts of making indecent pictures of children, the UK's Metropolitan Police said on Monday.
Edwards, 62, was the BBC's highest-paid news presenter and anchored the broadcaster's BBC News at Ten bulletin for more than two decades.
He was regularly chosen to anchor the broadcaster's biggest events and announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
He resigned in April this year, citing medical advice, some nine months after UK media reports contained allegations he had paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.
He has been charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child relating to images found on a child's phone, according to court documents.
"The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat," a Met Police spokesperson said.
"Edwards was arrested on 8 November, 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service."
He was bailed to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, local time.
Edwards was one of the main faces at the BBC until his departure, announcing the death of Queen Elizabeth to the nation, and leading coverage of the biggest events in Britain since the turn of the century, including elections, royal weddings and the 2012 Olympics.
The BBC's annual salary report revealed Edwards was the corporation's third-highest paid star between April 2023 and March this year, earning around £475,000 ($933,500) in that period.
Edwards is accused of having six category A images — the most serious classification of indecent images — on a phone.
He is also accused of making dozens of category B and C pictures.
The offences, if proven, can carry jail terms of up to 10 years.
Reuters/ABC
