Huw Edwards given six-month suspended sentence for making indecent images of children

Huw Edwards has been given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years, after admitting making indecent photographs of underage children.

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring, said the former BBC newsreader’s crimes were “extremely serious” but that he didn’t present a risk or danger to children.

Goldspring accepted that Edwards had no recollection of viewing the images because of his mental health issues at the time of the offences. The court heard that Edwards had struggled with his sexuality since 1994 and that there was currently a “tangible risk” of suicide.

Edwards also has to attend a sex offender treatment programme, 25 rehabilitation sessions, and must sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years. He was ordered to pay £3,128 in costs and a victim surcharge.

Following the sentencing, Lynn Perry, the chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said: “Huw Edwards was a trusted public figure at the heart of the national media for decades. In the midst of this case, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that at the heart of this are children as young as seven who are victims of horrific sexual abuse.

“Tens of thousands of children are sexually exploited or groomed online every year. We urge tech companies to take action to make sure abuse material can’t be shared on their platforms.”

In court on Monday (16 September), Edwards apologised for “betraying the priceless trust of so many people”, having pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children. The former newsreader admitted having 41 such images, including some showing a victim aged between seven and nine.

He had been chatting with Alex Williams, a convicted paedophile, and was sent the 41 images on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, the court heard.

“It is clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered that a deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature,” prosecutor Ian Hope told Westminster Magistrates’ Court. “It is also clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of money – low hundreds of pounds on an occasional basis – to Alex Williams which Mr Williams directly asked for on several occasions, as gifts or presents.”

Huw Edwards paid £1,500 for indecent images of children

Edwards, 63, accessed at least 377 sexual images via direct messages, with seven being Category A indecent images of children, the most serious. Twelve were Category B and 22 Category C. He gave Williams up to £1,500 for the images, which the latter said would support him at university, according to the prosecution.

The court heard that, when asked if the content was “too young”, Edwards responded several days later: “Don’t send underage.”

When asked by Williams if he wanted content from somebody described as “yng,” Edwards replied: “Go on.”

The court also heard that, when asked by Williams if he wanted explicit images of a person whose “age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16,” Edwards said: “Yes xxx.”

While the phone Edwards had used to communicate with Williams has not been recovered, the messages indicated that the pair used didn’t only use WhatsApp to communicate, the court was told. The pair met in person only once.

Appearing for the disgraced broadcaster, Philip Evans said the evidence suggesting his client did not want to receive illegal images should be seen as a mitigating factor.

Evans added that Edwards, whom he said had been diagnosed with arteriosclerosis, a form of heart disease, and who suffers from depression and other mental-health conditions, wanted to apologise to the British public.

“He wishes the court through me to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent images and the hurt that he has done to those who appear in such images,” Evans said. “He recognises he has hurt and damaged his family and his loved ones. For all those things, he is truly sorry, and he is truly sorry he committed these offences.”

Williams, who admitted seven offences, received a 12-month suspended sentence in March.