Huw Edwards has reportedly still not paid back any of the wage he received from the BBC after being arrested.
It was revealed last year that the broadcaster had asked the disgraced presenter to repay his salary after he pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children.
Edwards, 63, was spared jail after admitting to accessing indecent images of children as young as seven, having previously admitted to three charges of ‘making’ indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by a convicted paedophile over WhatsApp.
He was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended by two years and has been placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.
It was revealed that the BBC had known of Edwards’ arrest in November 2023, on ‘suspicion of serious offences’, but continued employing him until the following April, when he quit ’on the basis of medical advice from his doctors’, after 40 years on screens.
It has now been claimed that Edwards has not handed back the £200,000 he was paid after his arrest.
‘The BBC have not had any money back, and there doesn’t look to be any sign of that changing,’ a source said to The Sun.
Following Edwards pleading guilty, the BBC demanded his salary back, with a statement at the time reading: ‘The Board has authorised the Executive to seek the return of salary paid to Mr Edwards from the time he was arrested in November last year.
‘Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money.
‘He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.’
The BBC also announced that the Board has commissioned an independent review to ‘make recommendations on practical steps that could strengthen a workplace culture in line with BBC Values.’
After the trial, BBC director-general Tim Davie explained to Amol Rajan why Edwards’ pay continued after the BBC was made aware of the charges.
He said ‘we decided that pay continues until someone is charged’ and added: ‘I think it was the right decision based on current policy.’
‘We want the money back and we’ve asked for it back, and we’re waiting to hear back,’ he added.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also called for Edwards to return his salary, saying: ‘I think having been arrested on such serious charges all the way back in November, to continue to receive that salary all the way through until he resigned is wrong and it’s not a good use of taxpayers’ money.
‘I think most people in the country will agree with that but whether he does that or not is up to him.’
Edwards was previously the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader, with a pay bracket of £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days, BBC One news specials, and other television programming, according to the corporation’s annual report.
He had worked for the corporation for 40 years and covered historic events, including announcing the Queen’s death in September 2022, covering her funeral and the coronation of the King in May 2023.
In court in August last year, the former broadcaster admitted having 41 child sex abuse images on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.
He pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2021.
The child abuse materials that were sent to Edwards by 25-year-old convicted paedophile Alex Williams included seven category A, the worst, 12 category B, and 22 category C.
Of the category A images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told.
Along with his suspended sentence, Edwards was ordered to attend 25 ‘rehabilitation sessions’, be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days and be placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years. He also had to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs.
Metro has approached the BBC and Edwards’ lawyer for comment.
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