LONDON – Former BBC TV news presenter Huw Edwards, a prominent figure in British media, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to three counts of making indecent pictures of children.
Edwards, 62, known as the BBC’s highest-paid journalist and top news anchor until his resignation in April, arrived at London’s Westminster Magistrates Court surrounded by photographers and camera crews, wearing sunglasses.
After confirming his identity, Edwards was asked if he wished to indicate a plea to the three charges related to different categories of indecent images. He responded, “Guilty.” Judge Paul Goldspring announced that Edwards would be sentenced on September 16.
During the 25-minute hearing, prosecutor Ian Hope revealed that 41 still or moving images had been sent to Edwards by an adult male via WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021. Hope added that seven of the 41 images were of the most serious kind, including two pornographic videos featuring a child possibly aged seven and nine years old.
Edwards’ lawyer, Philip Evans, emphasized that the charges to which his client pleaded guilty pertained only to images sent to him via WhatsApp. “There is no suggestion in this case that Mr. Edwards has in any way made, in the traditional sense of the word, any images in any physical way or created any images of any sort,” Evans stated.
Edwards, who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth to the nation in 2022 and led coverage of elections, royal weddings, and the 2012 Olympics, has not appeared on TV screens for a year. This court appearance was his first in public since then.
He resigned in April following medical advice after newspaper allegations last year that he had paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.