LONDON: Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, one of the most recognisable faces on UK television, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
The 62-year-old, who resigned from the BBC in April on “medical advice”, six months after he was initially arrested, faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a minimum of 12 months.
Wearing a dark suit and blue tie, Edwards was emotionless as he admitted having 41 indecent images of children on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.
The offences were committed between December 2020 and August 2021, amended from the initial chargesheet which ran to April 2022.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London heard that Edwards had received 377 sexual images from a man on WhatsApp, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
Of the most serious images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told.
Edwards had told the man not to send any illegal images, the court heard.
He was released on conditional bail until his next hearing on September 16, when he could be sentenced.
Edwards was the BBC’s lead presenter on key events, such as the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, but was suspended in July 2023 when allegations first emerged.
He had also been the anchor of the BBC’s flagship 10:00 pm news programme since 2003.
He quit on April 22 after 40 years with the broadcaster.
As the accusations became front-page news last July, Edwards’s wife Vicky Flind said the father-of-five was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and had been admitted to hospital.
Edwards himself has not publicly commented on the allegations.
The BBC’s brand has been built on public trust but the broadcaster has been rocked in recent years by scandals which saw some big names revealed as serial sex offenders.
