9-7-2023 (LONDON) A BBC presenter has been accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photographs since the alleged victim was 17, according to The Sun. The newspaper claims that the male presenter paid the teenager tens of thousands of pounds for the explicit images. The BBC is said to be investigating the allegations and the presenter is not scheduled to appear on air in the coming days. The young person’s family reportedly complained to the BBC about the presenter on 19 May. The family approached the newspaper as they were frustrated that the presenter remained on air, however, they did not want payment for the story.
The mother of the anonymous individual, now aged 20, told The Sun that her child used the money from the presenter to fund a crack cocaine habit. She described the youngster’s transformation from a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in three years.
Following the allegations, several high-profile BBC presenters denied they were the presenter in question. Rylan Clark took to Twitter to confirm that he is not the presenter, while BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine distanced himself from the story, stating that the allegations were not about him.
Gary Lineker did not mention the allegations specifically but tweeted that it was not him. Nicky Campbell reported an anonymous Twitter account to the police over a post claiming he was the presenter.
The BBC said that it takes any allegations seriously, and if it receives information that requires further investigation, it will take appropriate action. The corporation stated that if it receives new information, including via newspapers, it will act on it accordingly.
However, BBC’s culture editor Katie Razzall said many questions remain unanswered, including how the corporation has investigated the family’s complaint and whether it was appropriate for the presenter, who has not been named, to remain on air after a serious allegation was made. If proven, the allegations would end the career of a high-profile BBC presenter.
