The BBC have said they have suspended an unnamed male presenter after allegations he paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit pictures. The mum claims the man in question first started interacting with their child when they were just 17 and allegedly funded the child's drug addiction.
The Beep told the Mirror they were investigating the allegations but have now announced the man has been taken off the air, reports the Mirror. The license-payer-funded corporation said: "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
"This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps. It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.
"We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.
"The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries, we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols. We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
"We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date."
In an email to all BBC staff, director general Tim Davie said he is "wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent", before adding that he is taking all allegations extremely seriously. Davie continued: "The BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up.
"New allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols."
He added: "By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.
"We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate."
So far, details surrounding the man are currently unknown although the mother of the person sending images explained she was horrified to discover it was somebody she loved seeing on the network.
In an interview with The Sun, she said: "I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear. I immediately recognised him, he was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him. My child told me, 'I have shown things' and this was a picture from some kind of video call."
It's alleged that the man has sent a total of £35,000 to the person, with them handing over £5,000 in just one transaction for sexually explicit photographs of the teen.
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