Huw Edwards has resigned from the BBC after he was accused of paying for explicit images following a report in The Sun.
It comes after Edwards, 61, was suspended by the BBC after he was accused of allegedly paying a total of £35,000 for sexual content.
The BBC presenter was named by his wife Vicky Flind who, in a statement shared on behalf of her husband, said: "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children."
Here is a timeline of the events surrounding the emergence and fallout from the allegations.
Full timeline of BBC presenter Huw Edwards's allegations
Friday, May 19 2023
On May 19 the family of the person, who was 17 when Huw Edwards allegedly started payments back in 2020, complained to the BBC via email and became frustrated when the presenter stayed on air.
They added that they reportedly asked the broadcaster to stop the man “sending the cash”.
Tuesday, June 6 2023
After receiving no response to the email referenced above, a phone call was made to the mobile number provided by the complainant by the BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team; the call did not connect.
Following these attempts to make contact with the complainant, the Corporate Investigations Team was due to return to the matter in the coming weeks.
No additional attempts to contact the complainant were made after June 6, however, the case remained open throughout.
Thursday, July 6 2023
The BBC said they became aware of new allegations against the then-unnamed presenter.
A statement said: “New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.”
Friday, July 7 2023
The Sun publishes an exclusive which reveals a BBC presenter is facing allegations he paid a total of £35,000 for sexual content.
The BBC responded to the article with a statement saying: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.”
Saturday, July 8 2023
BBC presenters publicly clear their names including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, Rylan Clark and Nicky Campbell.
Plus, the complainant sent the BBC some materials related to the complaint.
Sunday, July 9 2023
The complainant continued to send the BBC materials to do with the complaint.
The BBC issued an update to staff and the media. The broadcaster also confirmed that it had suspended Mr Edwards.
Monday, July 10 2023
The BBC met with the police to report the matter and discuss how to progress the investigation.
The police requested that the BBC pause its investigations into the allegations while they scope future work.
Tuesday, July 11 2023
The BBC reported a second person felt threatened by messages they received from Mr Edwards.
According to the BBC, the person in their early 20s met Mr Edwards on a dating app before their conversations moved to other platforms.
He then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone.
The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with a BBC presenter and hinting they might name him.
Mr Edwards then sent a number of “threatening messages”, which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to him.
The BBC said the young person felt “threatened” by the messages and “remains scared”.
BBC News said it had contacted Mr Edwards via his lawyer but had received no response to the allegations.
Wednesday, July 12 2023
Vicky Flind, the wife of Mr Edwards, issues a statement naming her husband as the individual involved.
She said that he “was suffering from serious mental health issues” and is now “receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future” as she asked for privacy for her family.
The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police say that no criminal offence has been committed by Mr Edwards and neither force would currently be taking any further action in relation to the allegations.
The BBC announces it will resume its “fact-finding investigations” to ensure “due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved”.
Monday, April 22 2024
Mr Edwards resigned from the BBC on medical advice as a statement shared: "Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC."
Adding: "After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.
"The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don't believe it appropriate to comment further."
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