Huw Edwards has apologised for “betraying the priceless belief of so many individuals” as he appeared in court docket for sentencing after admitting accessing indecent pictures of youngsters as younger as seven.
The previous BBC presenter, who spent 4 a long time on the company, seemed pale and drained within the dock as his case was mentioned in entrance of the chief Justice of the Peace, Paul Goldspring, who will resolve whether or not at hand down a custodial sentence.
The court docket heard that Edwards, 63, had pleaded responsible in July to a few costs of creating indecent photos of youngsters after he was despatched 41 unlawful photos by Alex Williams, a convicted paedophile.
Edwards had been concerned in a web-based chat with Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021 throughout which he despatched a whole bunch of kilos to him “apparently off the again of [him] sending pornographic photos to Mr Edwards”.
Williams despatched him 377 sexual photos, together with 41 indecent photos of youngsters, of which seven had been class A (the worst), 12 class B and 22 class C.
In his opening assertion on the listening to, prosecutor Ian Hope stated: “It’s clear from the face of the WhatsApp chat recovered {that a} deal of the chat between Alex Williams and Mr Edwards was sexual in nature.
“It is usually clear that Mr Edwards was paying not insignificant sums of cash – low a whole bunch of kilos on an occasional foundation – to Alex Williams which Mr Williams straight requested for on a number of events, as items or presents, apparently off the again of sending pornographic photos to Mr Edwards, about which photos they chatted.
“Alex Williams has said that the cash was extra typically to help him at college and amounted to round £1,000 to £1,500.”
Hope stated Edwards didn’t reply after Williams despatched him a sexual video of youngsters aged round seven to 9 and 11 to 13 and that there was proof that he had requested for unlawful photos to not be despatched.
The prosecutor stated: “On 10 February 2021, a class A video was despatched which is notable as a result of the age of one of many kids concerned was considerably youthful than in the remainder of the pictures despatched – it confirmed a number of acts of penetration between two kids aged round seven to 9 and 11 to 13 respectively.
“There was no direct response from Mr Edwards to this video, past it being marked as ‘learn’. Per week later … a variety of attachments had been despatched, which included two class B movies and 4 class C nonetheless photos comprising indecent photos of youngsters.
“On 19 February 2021, Alex Williams requested: ‘Is the stuff I’m sending too younger for you?’ The subsequent response from Mr Edwards is dated 22 February 2021 saying: ‘Don’t ship underage.’”
The court docket heard, nonetheless, that Edwards advised Williams “go on” when requested if he wished “naughty pics and vids” of someone described as “yng (sic)“.
He wrote: “sure xxx” when he was requested by Williams if he wished sexual photos of an individual whose “age could possibly be discerned as being between 14 and 16”.
Williams, who was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences after an investigation by South Wales police, obtained a 12-month suspended sentence on 15 March.
The previous presenter, who introduced the loss of life of the Queen in 2022, arrived an hour earlier than the listening to in central London pulling a suitcase behind him and carrying a blue cardigan.
The court docket heard that the cellphone utilized by Edwards to speak with Williams had by no means been recovered however that the WhatsApp messages indicated that a variety of social media platforms had been used for the sharing of photos. The 2 males met in particular person solely as soon as.
Edwards suffered from melancholy and different psychological well being situations, the court docket heard, and had been identified with arteriosclerosis, a type of coronary heart illness, in December 2023.
Edwards’ defence barrister, Philip Evans KC, stated the proof that his shopper had expressly requested Williams to not ship unlawful photos was a big mitigation and that there was nothing to recommend that Edwards had used his place on the BBC to achieve indecent photos.
He stated Edwards, who has separated from his spouse with whom he has 5 grownup kids, wished “to apologise to the court docket” and people he had damage.
Evans stated: “He needs the court docket via me to understand how profoundly sorry he’s. He recognises the repugnant nature of such indecent photos and the damage that he has finished those that seem in such photos.
“For his half on that he apologises sincerely and he makes it clear he has the utmost remorse. He recognises that he has betrayed the priceless belief of so many individuals.
“He recognises he has damage and broken his household and his family members round him. For all these issues he’s actually sorry and he’s actually sorry he has dedicated these offences.”
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