Huw Edwards named as the BBC presenter who was suspended following allegations of payments up to £35,000 to a teenager for sexually explicit images.
The Metropolitan Police has said that no criminal offence has been committed by the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images, who has now been named as 61-year-old newsreader Edwards.
Vicky Flind said her husband, Edwards, was 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and is now 'receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future' as she asked for privacy for her family.
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Speaking on behalf of her husband in a statement released to the PA News Agency, Ms Flind said: "In light of the recent reporting regarding the 'BBC Presenter' I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
"Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
"The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
"Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.
"In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.
"I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end."
Sources have also made it clear to the PA news agency that Edwards has not resigned.
In a report released by The Sun newspaper last week, a BBC male presenter was said to have paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for photographs, starting when they were just 17 years old.
The mother of the alleged victim told the outlet that her child, now 20, had used the money from the presenter to fund a drug habit.
She also claimed her son had gone from a 'happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict' in just three years.
The family is said to have complained to the BBC on 19 May, but later went to The Sun after becoming frustrated that the star remained on air.
Earlier this month (9 July), the BBC issued an update to staff and the media and confirmed it had suspended the then-unnamed presenter following the first allegation printed in The Sun.
In a full statement, the BBC said: "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
"This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.
"It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care."
A police force has confirmed to the PA news agency that 'no criminality was identified' following a report in April by the family.
The force has since met with representatives of the Metropolitan Police and the BBC, with a spokesperson saying: "Further inquiries are ongoing to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence."
A statement from the BBC on Tuesday (11 July) said: "The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with the utmost diligence and care.
"There will, of course, be lessons to be learned following this exercise."
The BBC was set to meet the Metropolitan Police today (10 July) as the corporation deals with allegations against its presenter, and is also carrying out its own investigation.
No formal allegations have yet been made.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-2pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111.
Topics: BBC, News, UK News, Huw Edwards
Rhiannon Ingle