11-7-2023 (LONDON) The BBC has temporarily halted an internal investigation into a presenter accused of paying a young person for explicit images, following a report in the Sun newspaper that one of its leading presenters had paid £35,000 over three years for explicit photos of a young person. The payments reportedly began when the individual was 17 years old. The BBC has suspended the presenter and is working with the police on the matter. The corporation has not named the individual, and several BBC stars have denied involvement on social media.
In a statement, the BBC said that it had been asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the police assessed the information. The police said that there is no investigation at this time. The BBC is funded by a licence fee paid by every British household that watches TV. The corporation is now trying to investigate the claims while protecting the privacy of those involved, as well as being transparent and avoiding undue suspicion of its other leading presenters.
The BBC received the complaint from a member of the young person’s family in May, but its investigations team had been unable to get in touch with the complainant. On Monday, the BBC received a letter from a lawyer acting for the young person, stating that the allegations were “rubbish.” The broadcaster has said that the events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with utmost diligence and care.
