EX-BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been charged with making indecent images of children.
News anchor Edwards, who resigned from the BBC ‘on medical advice’ after 40 years in April, faces three charges over alleged activity between December 2020 and April 2022.
The offences are claimed to be linked to images shared on WhatsApp, police said, and Edwards is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation. 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.”
Last week, the BBC’s annual salary report revealed that former News at Ten anchor Edwards was the corporation’s third-highest paid star from April 2023 to March 2024, earning between £475,000 and £479,999, a figure topped only by Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball.
Edwards joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1984 before becoming Parliamentary Correspondent for BBC Wales two years later. He fronted the Six O’Clock News from 1994 to 2003, when he switched to BBC One’s 10pm bulletin.
Edwards also served as the BBC’s host for some of the nation’s most prestigious state events, including leading the national broadcaster’s coverage for the funerals of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, King Charles’ Coronation at Westminster Abbey last year, and the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson added: “Huw Edwards, 62, of South West London, has been charged with three offences of making indecent images of children. The CPS authorised the charges after a Metropolitan Police investigation. Mr Edwards will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 31 July 2024.”
