THE BBC has taken a “household name” presenter off the air following allegations that he paid a teenager more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photographs.
According to an investigation by The Sun, the presenter allegedly began requesting photos from the teen when they were 17-years-old in 2020 and made a series of payments since that time.
Neither the individual nor the teenager have been identified.
The Sun said the teen’s family complained to the BBC on May 19.
In response to The Sun’s report, a BBC spokesperson said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
“As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.
“That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop.
“If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”
