Support truly
independent journalism
The convicted paedophile who sent Huw Edwards indecent images of children has been revealed to be a 25-year-old man from Wales, whose family say they were unaware of his crimes.
The veteran BBC newsreader – who announced the death of the Queen and presented multiple royal weddings and Olympics ceremonies – pleaded guilty this week to three charges of making indecent images after receiving the photographs from Alex Williams, of Merthyr Tydfil.
The images, shared with Edwards via WhatsApp, came to light during an unrelated investigation into Williams by South Wales Police. A court heard this week that he forwarded 41 illegal images to the BBC presenter, including seven of the most serious type, category A.
The Metropolitan Police said Williams pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing category A, B and C images, as well as possessing prohibited images of children. He was convicted of seven offences and received a 12-month suspended sentence on 15 March.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told on Wednesday that the bulk of the images were sent during a two-month period, with most being sent over two days in December 2020 and the final image sent in August 2021. It was a category A video featuring a young boy, the court heard.
South Wales Police told The Guardian that Williams was arrested in August 2022 and bailed as its investigation continued. He was charged in December 2023 and appeared in court in January, when he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing illegal images.
Pictures of Williams have now been uncovered via his social media profiles and he has gone into hiding since his messages to Edwards came to light, according to the Mail Online. The website made contact with his parents, who denied knowing their son had been convicted of sexual offences and said they had not seen him for months.
His grandmother said she had no knowledge of his conviction, according to The Times, which reported that he had been working in Cardiff in a management position after graduating from university in the Welsh capital.
Edwards was bailed after pleading guilty on Wednesday and will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September. He faces up to 10 years in prison but his barrister has called for the court to consider a suspended sentence.
