Former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children during a court hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. The 62-year-old journalist confessed to committing the offenses between December 2020 and April 2022.
Authorities discovered 41 photographs on Edwards’s WhatsApp account, including seven category A images—considered the most severe—primarily featuring children aged 13 to 15. Additionally, twelve category B pictures and 22 category C images were found.
Prosecutors revealed the presence of moving images depicting a young child, approximately 7 to 9 years old.
Arrest and Charges
Edwards was taken into custody on Nov. 8, 2023, and subsequently charged with making indecent images of children in June. He resigned from the BBC in April due to medical reasons.
The court proceedings disclosed that Edwards engaged in an online chat on WhatsApp with an adult male between December 2020 and August 2021. The individual sent Edwards a total of 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
Most of the illicit files—36 in total—were transmitted over a two-month period. In February 2021, the man questioned Edwards about the age appropriateness of the images, to which Edwards responded by urging the man not to share anything illegal.
The exchanges continued, with legal pornographic images being swapped until April 2022.
Claire Brinton from the Crown Prosecution Service emphasized that receiving indecent images of children, even inadvertently via social media, contributes to the ongoing sexual exploitation of minors, leading to lasting trauma.
The CPS, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police, was able to substantiate that Edwards was indeed receiving illegal content involving children through WhatsApp.
Defense
In his defense, Edwards’s barrister Philip Evans, KC, stated that there was no evidence of Edwards creating or distributing any illegal images. Evans clarified that Edwards did not retain, share, or actively seek similar content.
The defense team highlighted Edwards’s exemplary character and the challenges he faced due to mental and physical health issues.
As one of the most recognizable figures on British television, Edwards presented the BBC’s “News at Ten” for an extended period and frequently hosted coverage of elections, royal events, and documentaries focusing on Welsh history.
This report includes contributions from PA Media.
