Piers Morgan has said that the anonymous BBC presenter should 'come forward' if he has 'nothing to hide'.
The former Good Morning Britain host was discussing the recent developments on the claims a BBC presenter paid a teenager around £35,000 for sexually explicit photographs, writes The Mirror.
Over the weekend, it was reported that the mother of the teenager had made a complaint to the BBC after their child used money to fund a drug addiction, and she also blames the presenter for "destroying her child's life".
Despite the mother's claims, a lawyer representing the young person in question has said the allegations are "not true".
In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer wrote: "For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are 'rubbish'."
And during his TalkTV Show Uncensored last night, Piers discussed the latest developments.
He said: "The presenter concerned, we all know who it is.
"The public doesn't know who it is yet. Would it be prudent for this presenter to come out if he has nothing to hide?
"If what this young alleged victim has put in this legal letter is true and there is nothing legal or improper about whatever relationship they may or may not have had.
"Would it not be the smart thing to do for this presenter to come out and talk frankly about this?
"And maybe not even defend himself but say, 'This is what happened and I have nothing to hide'."
Former BBC presenter Michael Crick appeared on Piers' show and agreed with what he said.
He said: "I think the managers in the BBC, there is some frustration there that this presenter hasn't done that yet and they dearly wish that they would do so.
"I would think at some point they're going to have to come out and make a statement about what did and what didn't happen."
However, MP Mel Stride said he would not use parliamentary privilege to name the BBC presenter at the heart of allegations about payments for sexually explicit images, amid reports some MPs are threatening to do so. The Work and Pensions Secretary told LBC radio: "I think everybody has to take their own decision on this one.
"I can only tell you what I would do, which is that I would not be naming anybody in the House of Commons.
"Parliamentary privilege is a very special and privileged thing and it should be used very, very sparingly.
"My own view is that, regarding the BBC situation, not enough is known yet by the outside world of absolutely what has been going on here.
"And until we know all the facts, and we won’t know I think until this whole matter is concluded, I think it would be wrong to prejudge things and jump to conclusions that people should be named or otherwise."
A Cabinet minister has urged people to "resist… the urge to opine on" the allegations that a BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images, and about how the allegations are being dealt with.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told Sky News: "Once it’s all over and concluded, I think that is most certainly the time to be looking at whether things were done correctly or not.
"But at the moment, it seems to me this is a highly fluid, unknown situation and we should give the BBC a bit of space.
"It’s really important that all of us resist, to the extent that we can, the urge to opine on what was right, or what was outrageous or wrong, until we know all the facts."
When quizzed about the BBC’s handling of the situation, he said: "We don’t know enough of the facts to be able to start pointing too many fingers yet at the process.
"I think we have to wait till this has played out as quickly and effectively as possible, and that’s what the Secretary of State (for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) has been pushing for. And then we can start to make those judgments."
It comes as the young person's lawyer claimed they sent a denial to the newspaper on Friday evening via WhatsApp, in which they said the allegation was "totally wrong and there was no truth to it".
A spokesperson for The Sun said: "We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child. Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate."
When the claims were first reported, the mother of the teen – who is said to be estranged from their child – claimed she initially raised concerns with the BBC in May after the presenter in question allegedly sent £5,000 for explicit photographs.
When first approached for comment following the initial reports, the BBC told the Mirror: "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."
Yesterday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it is undertaking further enquiries after meeting the BBC about allegations that an unnamed presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images, but added there was no investigation under way.
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