Disgraced former BBC presenter, Huw Edwards, has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and having 41 indecent images of children at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London. Edwards’ sentencing has attracted much criticism, as the pedophile was spared jail time, despite possessing images of children as young as 7, some of which were of ‘the most serious type’.

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At the hearing today, the Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring and the court heard how the BBC’s top earner paid up to £1,500 to convicted paedophile Alex Williams, who sent him 41 indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021. For his possession of the illegal images, Edwards faced charges of seven Category A (the most severe category) 12 Category B, and 22 Category C indecent images of children. 

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In court, Edwards’ defence barrister Philip Evans KC, claimed that Edwards did not pay Williams for the "purposes of receiving indecent images". Evans also alleged that Edwards told Williams not to send images of children that were underage and that Edwards had not made images in the "traditional sense", rather he had viewed them via WhatsApp.

 Whilst handing down a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, Goldspring told the 63-year-old that:

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“The impact of child sexual abuse can be severe and lifelong.”

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Despite this, father-of-five Edwards only received a six month suspended prison sentence. Edwards’ suspended sentence, means that as long as he ‘stays out of trouble’ with the law for the duration of that sentence he will never serve a day in prison. Whilst we know prison overcrowding is an urgent issue for the government and the cost of keeping Huw safe may have likely amounted to more than Edwards’ staggering £475,000 salary - no prison time for such sinister crimes has rightfully received backlash.

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Edwards’ fall from grace has been even more staggering, so much so when allegations of a BBC News reporter being investigated for child abuse came to light, most did not consider Huw Edwards. Edwards told the court he was

"profoundly sorry" before remaining silent and avoiding reporters and protesters as he left the court. 

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