BBC boss Tim Davie warns of 'complex' investigation as he breaks silence on Huw Edwards' scandal

The head of the BBC has warned staff of the 'complex set of circumstances' surrounding the allegations made against Huw Edwards.

Last weekend, reports came out that alleged the long-standing news presenter had paid a teenager thousands of pounds of explicit images.

The Sun originally ran the story following claims from the individual's parents, stating Edwards' payments had funded their drug habit.

At the time, it was alleged that Edwards began messaging the teenager when they were 17-years-old.

Under UK law, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to send explicit image of themselves, and it is also against the law to receive them.

However, lawyers representing the person involved later came out and claimed the reports in the Sun were 'rubbish' and that nothing illegal had happened.

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The Metropolitan police also confirmed that no crime appears to have been committed.

After almost a week of speculation, last night (12 July), Edwards' wife Vicky Flind shared a statement confirming that he was the presenter involved.

Following the announcement, BBC boss Davie sent an email to staff, explaining the situation.

It read: "I wanted to write following this evening’s statements from the family of Huw Edwards and the police.

“Many of you will have read the words of Vicky Flind, Huw’s wife. It is a reminder that the last few days have seen personal lives played out in public. At the heart of this are people and their families.

“This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to reassure you that our immediate concern is our duty of care to all involved.

“Also this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police confirmed they would be taking no further action following an assessment of information provided to them.

“As you know, we were asked to pause our fact finding investigations until that assessment had been concluded. It is important we now continue with this work. I want to be clear that in doing so we will follow due process.

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“This remains a very complex set of circumstances. As we have done throughout, our aim must be to navigate through this with care and consideration, in line with the BBC values.”

In her statement, Edwards' wife said he was receiving ‘in-patient hospital treatment’ and will remain there for the ‘foreseeable future’.

The veteran BBC journalist has been open in the past about his battle with depression.

Several BBC employees have since come out and accused the presenter of sending them inappropriate messages.

Responding to the allegations, a spokesperson for the BBC said: "We are communicating with staff and will continue to do so. We always treat the concerns of staff with care, and would always urge any staff members to speak to us if they have any concerns.

"We have clear processes for making complaints within the organisation, including whistleblowing procedures should someone wish to do so anonymously."