Huw Edwards 'able to visit kids playgrounds' as ex-cop slams 'shameful' sentence

Disgraced BBC News anchor Huw Edwards was sentenced to six months successful prison, suspended by 2 years aft being charged with making indecent images of children

Huw Edwards tin interaction his paedophile person and sojourn children's playgrounds aft walking escaped from court.

The disgraced erstwhile BBC News anchor was slapped with a six-month situation sentence, suspended by 2 years, meaning helium was capable to locomotion retired of court. If helium commits immoderate crimes successful the adjacent 2 years, helium could look a custodial condemnation for his archetypal six-month term, arsenic good arsenic the condemnation for his different crime.

But Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring past week said that Edwards "does not airs a hazard to radical nether the property of 18" and had shown "insight, shame and remorse." Edwards pleaded blameworthy successful July this year, to 3 counts of making indecent photographs / pseudo-photographs of a child. Seven of the 41 images were the astir superior type. A erstwhile proceeding astatine Westminster Magistrates Court heard that Edwards had been progressive successful an online chat with an big man, Alex Williams, connected WhatsApp betwixt December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 intersexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.

He pleaded blameworthy to charges of 7 Category A, the worst category, 12 Category B, and 22 Category C indecent images of children Goldspring besides declined to marque Edwards the taxable of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He said helium "did not airs a hazard to the public" but stated helium would beryllium connected the Sexual Offenders' Register for 7 years.

The determination to not marque him the taxable of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order means that determination are nary restrictions placed connected his telephone oregon his net usage. Edwards is besides capable to permission the country, truthful agelong arsenic helium gives the constabulary 7 days' notice. The deficiency of restrictions besides means helium tin sojourn a children's playground.

But it besides means that helium could interaction Alex Williams, 25, who primitively sent him the images of young children being abused. Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley has slammed the deficiency of restrictions and branded them "shameful" and "pathetic". Speaking to The Sun, helium said: "This demonstrates the shameful, pathetic, appalling sentences that paedophiles are receiving today.

"It's violative to each right-minded radical who judge children are to beryllium protected. For him to locomotion retired virtually arsenic escaped arsenic you oregon I, is galling. It highlights the flaws successful our crumbling, failing transgression justness strategy which saw nary punishment for his appalling crimes."

Edwards paid Williams up to £1,500 for sickening images of kid abuse. Williams asked for a "Christmas acquisition aft each the blistery videos" from Huw Edwards, the tribunal heard. Prosecutor Ian Hope said the convicted paedophile offered to nonstop 12 videos successful December 2020 and the then-BBC presenter responded that helium could not spot the latest batch but "the others were amazing".

The tribunal heard a caller nexus contained a Category C representation of a kid aged astir 12 to 14 and a Category A image. "Three-quarters of an hr later, Alex Williams again asks for 'a Christmas acquisition aft each the blistery videos' and Mr Edwards instantly responds 'What bash you need?'," the authoritative continued. "Alex Williams says helium wants immoderate Air Force 1 trainers that outgo astir £100, and Mr Edwards offers to nonstop him £200." He sent Edwards 377 images, 41 of which were indecent. The tribunal heard however Edwards replied: "Yes xxx," erstwhile helium was asked if helium wanted intersexual images of an idiosyncratic whose "age could beryllium discerned arsenic being betwixt 14 and 16."

Westminster Magistrates' Court was told Huw Edwards did not respond aft a convicted paedophile sent him a intersexual video of children aged astir 7 to 9 and 11 to 13. Prosecutor Hope said: "On February 10, 2021, a class A video was sent which is notable due to the fact that the property of 1 of the children progressive was importantly younger than successful the remainder of the images sent – it showed respective acts of penetration betwixt 2 children aged astir 7 to 9 and 11 to 13 respectively. There was nary nonstop effect from Mr Edwards to this video, beyond it being marked arsenic 'read'.