This Morning presenter Josie Gibson was in tears as she slammed the BBC for paying Huw Edwards his £475,000-a-year salary while he was suspended.
Former BBC News At Ten host Edwards, 62, pleaded guilty on Wednesday (July 31) to three counts of making indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another man in a WhatsApp chat. Huw, once one of the most senior presenters on the Beeb, was arrested in November 2023, before resigning on medical grounds in April 2024.
The BBC revealed they knew that he was arrested on ‘suspicion of serious offences’ last November but continued paying him until his resignation in April. They claimed he would have been fired if he had been charged over the vile crimes while still working for the corporation.
“The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected,” they also said in their statement about Edwards – who remained the third-highest-paid BBC journalist.
Josie said she was ‘fuming’ over the news (
Image:
ITV)
Despite him being on air for only three months of the latest financial year ending in March, pay figures showed that his pay increased from £439,999 to £479,999. Speaking on Thursday’s This Morning, Josie said of his pay: “It makes my blood boil, my absolute blood boil.” She also discussed the charges against the former BBC presenter, adding: “As a mother, it makes my stomach turn.” The hosts then started talking about his increased salary, with Tim Campbell saying it’s ‘really difficult’.
He said: “As an employer, you’re sometimes faced with disciplinary processes which mean you may have to suspend an individual while an investigation is going on, and the headline figures around paying someone can be very inflammatory because nobody wants to see someone who has now admitted guilt receiving tax-payers money.”
He pleaded guilty to his charges (
Image:
PA)
Host Josie repeated Edwards’ crimes, which involved indecent images of one child under nine, and added: “I’m fuming.” Co-host Craig Doyle then said: “I agree with Josie, it’s really disturbing.”
Mr Edwards, who led the coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s death and the Coronation of King Charles received and opened seven Category A, the worst case, 12 Category B and 22 Category C images between December 2020 and August 2021, West Minister Magistrates Court heard.
However, the disgraced broadcaster is unlikely to face a custodial prison sentence. Ian Hope, prosecuting told the court: “Although the conduct in the case amounts to no more than just opening the images, it is essentially treated as a form of possession.” Hope added that a suspended sentence is a possibility due to Edwards’ guilty plea, his previous good character, documented mental health issues and his “genuine remorse”.
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Source: New York Post
