‘He knew what he had done ..but he still took licence fee money’
BBC demands sick Huw’s wage back
THE BBC yesterday branded Huw Edwards a villain who continued to take a publicly funded wage despite his sick fondness for viewing sexual images of children.
And bosses have demanded the disgraced veteran newsreader hand back the £200,000 he received between his arrest on November 8 and eventual resignation on April 22.
Edwards, 62, was one of the highest-paid stars at the BBC, on a salary of up to £439,999. But on July 31 his career was finished after he admitted making indecent images of children.
A source said: “Edwards has a moral duty to give the money back. Whether he does or not remains to be seen.”
BBC chairman Samir Shah, 72, told how it was “a shock to discover Huw Edwards was living a double life”. In an email to staff yesterday, he added: “Let me be clear, the villain of this piece is Huw Edwards. The victims are those children for whose degradation Huw Edwards provided a market for.
“Throughout this time, Mr Edwards knew what he had done but he still took licence fee money to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Board support the Executive, who have written to Edwards to return the money. Mr Edwards behaved in bad faith.
“Whilst I was not chair when the BBC was first alerted to Mr Edwards’ behaviour and the consequent actions taken, I, and the Board, have now had detailed accounts from BBC executives about what happened.
“Nevertheless, there are very important lessons to be learned. I am particularly exercised by the continuing problem of how we handle bad behaviour by those with power in the BBC. We cannot be a place where there is any sense that inappropriate behaviour is seen as acceptable.
“The BBC has done a tremendous amount to try to get our culture right, however it is clear we need to do more.”
A BBC Board statement said: “Had Edwards been up front when asked about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. He has undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.”
Legal action could
be taken to compel Edwards to repay his wages, and insiders said his lawyers have been written to.
But any decision would be weighed up as to the cost to the taxpayer. The source added: “Lets hope it doesn’t get to that.”
BBC chiefs were told Edwards was arrested in November but they continued to pay him until he quit on medical grounds in April, sparking criticism.
Bosses insisted after his guilty plea that if he had been charged while still an employee they would have sacked him.
But when he was charged on June 26, he had already quit.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “It is vital the public has complete trust and faith in the BBC and in how it is run.”
Westminster magistrates court heard Edwards had been involved in a Whatsapp chat between December 2020 and August 2021 with a man who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent pictures of children.
The villain of this piece is Edwards. The victims are the children degraded
SAMIR SHAH BBC CHAIRMAN ON EDWARDS’ VILE ACTIONS