BBC’s former lead news presenter Huw Edwards pleads guilty to 3 counts of making indecent images of children

Former BBC anchor Huw Edwards pleads guilty to accessing indecent images of children, faces up to 10 years in prison.

Huw Edwards, the BBC's former top news presenter, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of making indecent images of children as he admitted accessing photographs sent to him by a man via the WhatsApp messaging service.

During a 26-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London, the court heard that an unnamed man contacted Edwards via social media and sent hundreds of sexual images on WhatsApp between December 2020 and April 2022.

Of the 377 sexual images sent, 41 were indecent images of children. Seven of those were classified as “category A,” which were the most indecent, with the estimated age of most of the children between 13 and 15, though one was aged between 7 and 9.

The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a “category A” film featuring a young boy. The man told Edwards the child was “quite young looking” and that he had more images which were illegal. Edwards then told him not to send any illegal images and no more such indecent images were sent, though the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.

“Accessing indecent images of underage people perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, which has deep, long-lasting trauma on these victims,” said Claire Brinton of the Crown Prosecution Service, which decides whether a case should go to court.

Edwards, who was the lead anchor on the BBC’s nighttime news for two decades and led the public broadcaster's coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 as well as election specials, has been remanded on bail until a pre-sentencing hearing on Sept. 16. He could face up to 10 years in prison, though the prosecution conceded that a suspended sentence may be appropriate.

Edwards, who was one of the BBC’s top earners, was suspended in July 2023 for separate claims made last year. He later resigned for health reasons. He had not been seen in public until Wednesday's hearing.