The longer the name of the accused is concealed, the higher the damage to BBC’s reputation. Yesterday, we reported the complete account of the BBC presenter scandal involving a minor. Here are a few bullet points to keep on track–
- A minor (17-year-old) in 2020 received money in exchange for explicit images.
- Three years later, the mother of the minor (currently 20 years old) issued a complaint in May for exploiting her child for sexual favors over the course of three years.
- She is sure of the perpetrator, as she recognizes him from her child’s phone as the famous BBC presenter. She said that the presenter was in his underwear, leaning back on the sofa, suggesting lewd action from the minor.
- The young person has received over £35,000 and once a lumpsum of £5000 for the online transaction of explicit images.
- These complaints were not taken into consideration as the presenter was still live on air.
- The Sun reported a full expose on July 8. The lawyers representing the defendant have denied these allegations as “rubbish.” The Sun spokesperson said they have enough evidence from the 20-year-old to substantiate these claims.
- This created an online discourse, and netizens started guessing prospects. The first three prominent names were Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine, and Ryan Clark. After a while, another presenter, Huw Edwards, became the most common name in the guessing game.
Read here for the complete details on the case so far.
However, the guesstimation took a different route when a prominent BBC presenter announced that he would be on a 2-week leave. This created a wave of suspicion against the presenter.
Who is this new name on the chopping block? Is he really the culprit? Let us decode the latest update.
Who Is Jon Kay?
Jon Kay is a popular face on the BBC network, with years of service in journalism, reporting, and presenting. He graduated from the University of Exter in Devon while simultaneously intrigued by broadcast journalism as he spent considerable time at the University Radio Exter.
In 1992, he graduated with a BA degree in Politics and was recruited by the BBC as a trainee local reporter.
From a trainee, he climbed the ladder to full-time reporter, regional reporter, national news correspondent, and now finally, the main presenter for BBC Breakfast. His most prominent coverages include the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the trial of Shrien Dewani, the murder of Jo Yeates, the 2012 London Olympics, the 2015 general election campaign, repatriations at Wootton Bassett, and also, Vanessa George’s child abuse scandal.
Jon Kay is married to Francesca, a BBC trainee reporter when Jon was a news correspondent. The two traveled the world, covering China, South East Asia, Central America, and Australia to report news for BBC.
What Did Jon Kay Do?
On July 10, Jon Kay announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from the BBC Breakfast Show. This single statement caused an uproar on social media as people started connecting the dotted lines–
Amidst the sexploitation scandal with severe implications, netizens were of the opinion that a BBC presenter announcing a sudden leave seems highly suspicious.
According to the new reports, BBC is under high pressure to take serious action against the unnamed presenter. They are prolonging the name revelation until the allegations are proven. However, with the surmounting pressure, BBC has officially suspended the accused, although the person seems to be enjoying their six-figure salary.
Now the question remains; is he the person of interest?
Is Jon Kay Really The Accused BBC Presenter?
Jon Kay was bombarded with messages, tweets, retweets, comments, and every other means to confirm whether he was the accused. People wanted to know the reason for his sudden leave as the case unfolded. Jon took to Twitter to clarify his basis.
Jon Kay is on holiday with his family, which he says is long overdue. Any corporate requires prior notice for a long holiday. Pretty sure that Jon must have applied for his leave before the scandal erupted.
But people/media were quick to draw conclusions that this is his way of slowly fading away from the spotlight.
So far, BBC has revealed no name in the controversy. Jon Kay is just another assumption. However, insiders and BBC employees seem aware of the suspended BBC presenter but cannot disclose it under legal obligations.
Latest Update
There have been certain discrepancies in the allegations. Apparently, the statement made by the mother and her child’s statement are conflicting.
The investigators have noticed that the complaint issued in May has a few differences from the statement issued on July 6. The mother mentioned the child’s drug abuse, while the lawyer representing the young person said that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” happened between his client and the alleged presenter.
It seems that the mother and the young person contradict each other’s statements, which may hamper their allegations to be proven before court.
What are your thoughts on Jon Kay’s alleged involvement? Do you think he is just targeted? Are the allegations sensationalized by the accusing party?
Who do you believe is the suspected BBC presenter? Let us know in the comments section below.
