Ever wondered how would a news channel report news that involves allegations against their own presenter?
The coveted news channel BBC has found itself in a soup that involves severe allegations against its presenter.
The Sun reported in an exclusive article with exhibits of a 20 -year-old youngster’s allegations. However, this is not the first time the family tried to reach out to tell their plight. They had complained in May but were met with disappointment when they watched the accused on TV, free from any repercussions.
What could be the allegations that silenced such a huge corporation?
What Is the BBC Presenter Scandal?
The late teens are a stage in life that turmoils between being a child who wants to be cared for and an independent adult who wants to fend for themselves. Many teenagers work odd jobs after school for some extra cash.
The sex-work industry is now at a penultimate stage with online transactions and the risk being lowered. Especially during the pandemic, Only fans, Patreon pages, Snapchat, and many more online platforms became the hubs for sexual favors with monetary exchange. However, this opened floodgates for online predators as minors were entrapped with the “quick money” bait.
In 2020, when quarantine was at its peak, getting odd jobs was particularly difficult for teenagers. Hence, most of them resorted to online hustles. One such 17-year-old found a means to make not just petty cash but actually a considerable amount of money online quickly.
Years passed, and the teenager reportedly made over £35,000 in just three years. To put into perspective, an adult with a blue-collared job would make less than this in a side hustle.
But when the rug was removed, it revealed a harrowing truth about a minor being exploited by an adult. The minor’s mother was shocked to see her child’s phone was flashing with pictures of an almost-naked adult, suggesting lewd favors.
However, the shock turned into an absolute nightmare when the mother recognized him from somewhere. Turns out, the individual in the picture was a decorated BBC presenter, considered a “household name.”
What Has the BBC Presenter Done?
The mother told The Sun–
“So I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.
“I immediately recognized him.
“He was leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him.
“My child told me, ‘I have shown things,’ and this was a picture from some kind of video call.
The unnamed BBC presenter has been engaging with the minor for explicit pictures. The young person revealed they received instant payment from the BBC employee, once a lumpsum of £5000.
The mother also revealed that she heard the individual– “on the phone saying to my child: ‘I told you not to f****** ring me.'”
How Is the BBC presenter suspended?
When the first complaint was issued in May, BBC took no actions against the presenter.
But after The Sun front-page news on July 8, BBC was under heavy scrutiny for the next steps against their employee. First off, BBC has refused to name the presenter and issued a warning for anyone who would make false estimations. The corporation has since suspended the presenter off-air. But the employee is still reportedly sitting securely on their six-figure salary.
The lawyer representing these allegations issued a statement–
“For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality, and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish.”
As the primary source of this expose, The Sun’s spokesperson clarified their stance on the report with the following statement–
“We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behavior of a presenter and the welfare of their child. Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC.
“We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
While the investigations are still in the preliminary stage, these allegations have crucial implications if proven guilty. Since the young person was still a minor during the initial sexual quid pro quo, the adult would be charged for asking and possessing indecent images from someone below 18 under the U.K.’s Protection of Children Act 1978. This would lead up to a maximum 10 years sentence.
Who Is the BBC Presenter Accused Named?
Now the internet is storming with guessing games; everyone is trying to narrow down names.
Some notable names were:
Gary Lineker replied subtly–
Jeremy Vine openly slammed those who named him–
Ryan Clark, who did not respond to his name being dragged.
However, every industry insider and other BBC employee seems to know who the accused is but is silenced under legal obligations.
Even then, one name seemed to be peeking out more–
Huw Edwards is a BBC presenter who also produced shows like BBC Weekend News, Daily Politics, News Six, and more. He has covered important news, such as the royal weddings of two princes, Harry and Williams. Edwards was also rewarded with accolades at the BAFTA Cymru.
His name started surfacing on the internet after a video was leaked on Snapchat of someone showing their bare posterior.
Now this video is trending after Edwards seems the most legible name in the controversy–
We want to emphasize that these are just allegations, and we are not making any assumptions of our own. But here’s another “frueidian slip” that is going viral–
Judge it yourself!
In the latest update, BBC is threatened that a member of the parliamentary might use this to their advantage by revealing the presenter’s name.
What are your guesses? Do you think BBC is covering up the situation by concealing the name?
What are the chances that this will all be settled behind the scenes? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
