Huw Edwards’ paedophile acquaintance who sent him indecent images of children has been pictured.
Alex Williams, 25, had sent the 62-year-old 41 indecent images during a WhatsApp conversation, a court heard.
Included in the imagery was a sickening picture of a child between the ages of seven and nine.
Mr Edwards, one of the BBC’s most respected and highest-paid broadcasters pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
The disgraced broadcaster faces a maximum of ten years behind bars.
In a statement, the Met confirmed that Williams, from Wales.
Had also pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing category A, B and C images as well as possessing prohibited images of children.
He was sentenced to a suspended 12-month jail sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on March 15.
Cops said an investigation into Edwards began after a phone studied by officers as part of an unrelated probe revealed the broadcaster’s participation in a WhatsApp conversation. South Wales Police uncovered the sick chat which the father-of-five Edwards was involved in.
Mr Williams, pictured above on a family holiday is reported to have fled his family home before the news of his involvement with Mr Edwards was made public. He sent Edwards 377 images, 41 of which were indecent. Williams’ parents have denied any knowledge that he was a convicted sex offender and stated he is “no longer living to them”.
Edwards, who was arrested last November and charged last month, will next appear in court on 16 September. He was flanked by police officers and surrounded by photographers as he entered and left the court today. He was expressionless outside court and inside the hearing, which lasted for less than half an hour.
Philip Evans KC, speaking in defence of the Welsh presenter, remarked to the court today: “There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr Edwards has… in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.” Evans further clarified that Edwards “did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else”.
Mr Edwards, who led the coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s death and the Coronation of King Charles received and opened seven Category A, the worst case, 12 Category B and 22 Category C images between December 2020 and August 2021, West Minister Magistrates Court heard.
However, the disgraced broadcaster is unlikely to face a custodial prison sentence. Ian Hope, prosecuting told the court: “Although the conduct in the case amounts to no more than just opening the images, it is essentially treated as a form of possession.” Hope added that a suspended sentence is a possibility due to Edwards’ guilty plea, his previous good character, documented mental health issues and his “genuine remorse”.
Last night, the BBC issued a statement following Edwards’ guilty plea and admitted they had known about his arrest. A spokesperson for the license-payer-funded corporation said: “The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.
“The police have confirmed that the charges are not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC in the summer of 2023, nevertheless in the interests of transparency we think it important to set out some points about events of the last year. In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation. At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health
“Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court. If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC. During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions. We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’ actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
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Source: New York Post
