BBC bosses only learned Huw Edwards was being charged with child pornography offences a few hours before it was made public, it was claimed on Tuesday.
The former presenter was the face of the BBC at major state events including the King’s Coronation before resigning this April.
He is due in court on Wednesday to face three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2022 after 37 indecent images were allegedly shared on a WhatsApp chat.
Guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service states that “making indecent images can have a wide definition in the law and can include opening an email attachment containing such an image, downloading one from a website, or receiving one via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group”.
The 62-year-old was arrested on November 8 and charged on June 26 following authorisation from the CPS.
Staff at Broadcasting House were stunned by the news with one senior source telling The Times: “The BBC was informed by the Met Police when a call came through [on Monday].”
Edwards, who was bailed and will appear at Westminster magistrates’ court, is accused of having six of the most serious category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp. The offences are contrary to sections 1(1)(a) and 6 of the Protection of Children Act 1978, and he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Edwards’s BBC resignation came after allegations he paid a young person for sexually explicit pictures but both the Met and South Wales Police said then that no criminal offence had been committed.
Last week the BBC confirmed Edwards was paid more than £475,000 in 2023/24 before he resigned and left.
Edwards, a married father of five who lives in Southwark, also announced the late Queen’s death on the BBC in September 2022.
The court appearance comes only days after it was reported the BBC has updated its guidelines on relationships in the workplace, warning staff that using “celebrity status” to influence people to make a decision in your favour is an “abuse of power”.
The Managing Personal Relationships at Work Policy also gives examples to staff of what to be on the lookout for including “signs or evidence of potential grooming”.
The document advises employees to raise concerns if they hear about “rumours or evidence of a potential relationship involving an imbalance of power”, “coercive behaviour” or “inappropriate gifts,” and report them or discuss them with a line manager.
