Broadcaster wants more than £200,000 paid back by Huw Edwards after 'appalling' crime
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) wants former broadcaster Huw Edwards to return the salary paid to him after he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing "indecent images of children."
The BBC is seeking more than £200,000, which is the salary Edwards received after being arrested in November last year, which led to his resignation in April.
"Mr. Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime," BBC said in a statement. "Had he been upfront when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute."
Edwards pleaded guilty in July to possessing indecent images of children, which includes seven category A images, the most serious classification, according to BBC News.
But his lawyer, Philip Evans, said there is no suggestion that Edwards has "in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort."
The court heard that Edwards received indecent images of underage children in 2021 from a 25-year-old paedophile. The broadcaster, however, told him not to send any illegal photos after getting one in August 2021.
"Mr. 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," Evans said as quoted by the BBC.
BBC said in an earlier statement that it was "shocked" to hear the details that emerged in 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," the broadcasting company said in a statement.
According to the BBC, the events put a spotlight on the question of power imbalances in the workplace.
"We remain concerned about the potential for inappropriate workplace behaviour, particularly in creative and editorial environments," it said. "Whilst challenges related to power imbalances in the workplace are a challenge for multiple employers, the BBC must hold itself to the highest standards."
The broadcasting firm further announced that it would commission an independent review that will recommend steps to strengthen the company's workplace culture.
"The review will include work already being undertaken within the BBC, as well as working with the rest of the industry as appropriate. We will set out terms of reference and leadership of this review in early September," it said.
