Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards’ sentence slammed as ‘disgrace’ by ‘disgusted’ public

Disgraced erstwhile BBC presenter Huw Edwards has been spared jailhouse after admitting to accessing indecent images of children arsenic young arsenic seven, and galore radical person taken to societal media successful outrage astatine the sentence.

The 63-year-old antecedently admitted 3 charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs aft helium was sent 41 amerciable images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams implicit WhatsApp.

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court connected Monday, Edwards was handed a six-month situation condemnation suspended by 2 years, which means helium tin debar jailhouse clip if helium doesn’t perpetrate different offence successful that time.

He volition besides beryllium required to implicit a enactment offender programme, and volition beryllium placed connected the enactment offenders registry for 7 years.

Following his sentencing, the BBC issued a statement, saying: ‘We are appalled by his crimes. He has betrayed not conscionable the BBC, but audiences who enactment their spot successful him.’

The main magistrate, territory justice Paul Goldspring, went done the mitigating factors taken into relationship portion deciding connected the sentence.

He said helium believed the erstwhile broadcaster’s remorse was genuine and that his intelligence wellness astatine the clip of the offences could person impaired his decision-making.

But the justice added that the fiscal and reputational harm Edwards suffered was ‘the earthy effect of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself’.

He continued: ‘I americium of the wide presumption that you bash not contiguous a hazard oregon information to the nationalist astatine large, specifically to children. There is simply a realistic imaginable of rehabilitation.’

The justice declined to marque a intersexual harm prevention bid against Edwards.

A psychiatrist’s report, referenced by the justice successful his sentencing remarks, concluded Edwards was astatine ‘considerable hazard of harm from others’ and the hazard of taking his ain beingness was ‘high and significant’ if helium was imprisoned.

In effect to the mitigations and suspended sentence, galore radical person taken to social media successful outrage.

TalkTV presenter Alex Armstrong took to X, and wrote: ‘Huw Edwards gets A SUSPENDED SENTENCE. He’s got disconnected connected “mental health” arsenic they were acrophobic for his safety. What astir the information of CHILDREN! TwoTier justness AGAIN! Disgrace. Absolute disgrace. I’m disgusted.’

5 News analogous Julian Druker said: ‘Huw Edwards’ ineligible squad accent 95% of the indecent images downloaded by the erstwhile presenter were “self directed” ie. underage boys taking images of themselves. Not definite what @nspcc etc would accidental astir this benignant of item utilized arsenic mitigation.’

Comedian Suzanna Maria Kempner compared his condemnation to that of biology protestors, and wrote: ‘Huw Edwards gets a suspended sentence. Good occupation helium hadn’t done thing arsenic atrocious arsenic readying an biology protestation implicit Zoom.’

Another appalled X idiosyncratic @IslandJelli said: ‘Huw Edwards is seeking mitigation for “poor intelligence health”. That’s NO EXCUSE for committing, oregon being complicit in, kid intersexual maltreatment CAUSING life-long trauma.

‘Many bully radical unrecorded with CRUSHING idiosyncratic calamity & MH probs. Edwards had control; helium CHOSE to harm kids.’

Reacting to the condemnation Rani Govender, Child Safety Online Policy Manager astatine the NSPCC, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Online kid intersexual maltreatment is astatine grounds levels and offenders similar Edwards who substance this transgression should beryllium successful nary uncertainty astir its severity and the interaction it has connected victims.

‘Companies indispensable besides enactment by putting exertion successful spot that tin place and disrupt kid maltreatment images being shared connected their messaging services truthful victims tin beryllium safeguarded and offenders prosecuted.

‘If anyone is sent oregon sees a kid maltreatment representation online they should study it immediately. The NSPCC Helpline is disposable for proposal and enactment successful this concern oregon if you are acrophobic astir the information of a young person.

‘You tin interaction the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].’

Prior to the sentencing Lynn Perry, Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, antecedently told Metro.co.uk: ‘The intersexual maltreatment of children, including maltreatment online, has a devastating and life-long effect connected the lives of survivors.

‘Huw Edwards was a trusted nationalist fig astatine the bosom of the nationalist media for decades. In the midst of this case, we mustn’t suffer show of the information that astatine the bosom of this are children arsenic young arsenic 7 who are victims of horrific intersexual abuse.

‘Tens of thousands of children are sexually exploited oregon groomed online each year. We impulse tech companies to instrumentality enactment to marque definite maltreatment worldly can’t beryllium shared connected their platforms.

‘When children are abused, and images of this are shared online, they indispensable person urgent, specializer enactment – thing that is sadly unavailable to galore children nationwide.’

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