29 July 2024 , 19:33
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Former BBC presenter charged with three offences after Met police investigation
The former BBC presenter, Huw Edwards, has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.
Edwards, who left the BBC in April, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday on charges relating to images shared on a WhatsApp chat.
He spent 40 years at the corporation where he was its highest paid newsreader at the time of his resignation, being paid a salary of £435,000-£439,999 in the year 2022-23.
Edwards, 62, who lives in Southwark, in London, was charged last month after an investigation by the Met police, the force said.
A Met spokesperson said: “The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat.
“Edwards was arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He has been bailed to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday 31 July.
“Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case. Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.”
Edwards, who was born in Bridgend, south Wales, in 1961, is married to the TV producer Vicky Flind. He was a reporter for the local radio station Swansea Sound before joining the BBC as a news trainee in 1984.
Two years later he became a parliamentary correspondent for BBC Wales and he began presenting the national Six O’Clock News in 1994.
Edwards went on to become a fixture in the corporation’s coverage of major political and royal events. He announced Queen Elizabeth II’s death on the BBC on 8 September 2022 and presented coverage of her funeral later that month. He also anchored the broadcast of King Charles III’s coronation last year.
He was a Westminster correspondent for 13 years, and played a key role in the BBC’s political reporting during his time there, taking over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019.
After he took over from Dimbleby, he told the Radio Times: “I’m going to let you in on a secret: the first time a senior BBC manager dangled this carrot in front of me was in 1992. So it’s been at the back of my mind since then.”