3 godzin temu
Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has refused to return approximately £200,000 in salary paid after his arrest, despite the corporation announcing 155 job cuts as part of sweeping cost-saving measures. The 64-year-old continued receiving his BBC wages for five months following his November 2023 arrest until his resignation in April 2024.
Edwards was convicted last year of three counts of making indecent images of children and received a six-month suspended prison sentence. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard he possessed 41 illegal images, including seven Category A files - the most serious classification - along with 12 Category B and 22 Category C files.
BBC's powerless position
The corporation has exhausted all legal options to force repayment after seeking professional legal advice. BBC chairman Dr Samir Shah admitted the situation was "quite frustrating" when addressing MPs in March.
Shah said: "We have obviously asked, and we've said it many times, but he seems unwilling. There was a moment that we thought he might just do the right thing for a change, then he decided not to. He could still do it. It's not right - he's taken licence fee payers' money and he knew what he'd done."
Staff facing redundancy are said to be particularly angered by the sight of Edwards holding onto hundreds of thousands of pounds in salary. The scandal continues to cast a shadow over the BBC as it grapples with financial pressures and accusations of double standards.
Edwards' career and conviction
Edwards joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984 and became one of its most recognisable faces, earning between £475,000 and £479,999 in the 2023/24 financial year. He anchored flagship programmes including News at Ten before his fall from grace.
His conviction followed a police investigation into communications with convicted paedophile Alex Williams, who sent him indecent images between 2018 and 2021. Edwards pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.
The BBC reiterated in a statement: "Huw Edwards has not returned any money paid to him by the BBC after his arrest, in respect of any of his work for either BBC public service or the BBC's commercial operations. The BBC has asked for all the money paid to Huw Edwards for the period November 2023 to April 2024 to be returned."
Sources used: "Evening Standard" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
