FALL FROM GRACE
‘Your reputation is in tatters’, judge tells Huw Edwards as disgraced star sentenced for paying for child sex images
Shamed newsreader's sick crimes revealed in court today
HUW Edwards' reputation has been left "in tatters" after it emerged he paid a convicted paedo for child sex images, a judge blasted.
The disgraced newsreader, 63, was today handed a suspended jail term for his depraved crimes.
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Edwards paid paedophile Alex Williams, 25, up to £1,500 for vile videos and images of children as young as seven.
Chief Magistrate, district judge Paul Goldspring, said: "It's obvious that until now you were very highly regarded by the public.
"You were perhaps the most recognised newsreader and journalist in the UK.
"It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters."
The judge also said any reputational and financial damage was the "natural consequence of your behaviour which you brought upon yourself".
He also told Westminster Magistrates' Court how Edwards was described as a "complex individual with a psychologically challenging upbringing".
A pre-sentence report found his relationship with his dad "was particularly challenging and probably damaging psychologically".
This led to an "enduring cognitive dissonance and low self-esteem", which was "compounded by a sense of being inferior" by not getting into Oxford University and going to Cardiff instead.
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In turn, this led to Edwards "being therefore something of an outsider at the BBC".
The judge also highlighted another pre-sentence report written by a "forensic psychosexual therapist".
Huw Edwards AVOIDS jail after paying paedo for child sex images he branded ‘amazing’ on WhatsApp
This told how Edwards managed his mental health through social media, which helped find him both men and women to be "sexual" with.
It added: "The feelings of being desirable and unseen, alongside Mr Edwards’ unresolved sexual orientation, created a perfect storm where he engaged in sexual infidelities and became vulnerable to people blackmailing him."
The disgraced presenter held his hands together as he was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He is also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for seven years and pay £3,128 in costs and a victim surcharge.
He issued a grovelling apology for his "repugnant" crimes - saying he has the "utmost regret" for "damaging his family and loved ones".
Following his sentencing, a BBC spokesperson said: "We are appalled by his crimes.
"He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him."
The court was told Edwards was sent 41 images - including two videos of a boy as young as seven - by Williams.
He paid between £1,000 and £1,500 for the images, which he described as "amazing".
Williams, who trawled the dark web for the vile pictures and videos, then used the cash to support himself at university.
He also asked Edwards to buy gifts for him in exchange for "all the hot videos" - including a pair of Air Force 1 trainers for Christmas.
On one occasion, the predator asked if Edwards wanted sexual images of a person whose "age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16".
The newsreader replied: "Yes xxx".
Paedo's pattern of behaviour
NIGHT after night he sternly delivered the most important news to the nation, with his authoritative style winning countless awards.
But away from his famous desk, as we have discovered, Huw Edwards was a manipulative paedophile who used the same pattern of behaviour time and time again to feed his relentless desires.
Some 437 days since the Sun's bombshell front page - Edwards today appeared in court to learn his fate, his once glittering career in ruins.
Our exclusive that he paid a youngster thousands of pounds for sexual pictures made headlines around the globe and set into motion a series of events which plunged the BBC into crisis.
And Edwards - at the time the BBC's highest earning newsreader - never again appeared on our screens.
Today, a court heard Edwards paid a younger convicted paedophile £1,500 for child sex images and videos of children which he described as "amazing".
The case centred on messages between sex offender Alex Williams, who was a teen when they struck up a relationship, and 63-year-old Edwards.
We must be clear, the facts of that case are unrelated to our original story.
But there are some alarming similarities in his exchanges with both young people - and a pattern of deeply disturbing behaviour.
He made contact with both on social media, messaged them on WhatsApp, harassed them for pictures, and then gave them money.
There were kisses involved and Christmas presents given.
Chillingly, he even bought both of them, who are decades younger, a pair of trainers.
And all in exchange for sexual pictures.
Cash was used as leverage to the men, one homeless, the other a student, who could only dream of earning his top salary.
What The Sun uncovered was a pattern of behaviour and had we not done so Edwards' could well have remained undetected.
He also told Williams "go on" when asked if he wanted "naughty pics and vids" of somebody described as "young".
Edwards had engaged in an online chat with 25-year-old Williams between December 2020 and August 2021.
During this time, the paedo sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
Williams first got touch with the presenter because he was randomly messaging famous people to see who responded.
He pleaded guilty in March to seven offences relating to possessing and distributing indecent images.
He was handed a 12-month jail term suspended for two years.
Seven of the images fall under Category A – the most serious classification.
The court heard in July that Edwards did not create any of the images himself.
The charge of making indecent images can mean opening an email attachment, downloading a picture or receiving an image via social media.
Rani Govender, Child Safety Online Policy Manager at the NSPCC, said: “Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims.
“Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted.
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“If anyone is sent or sees a child abuse image online they should report it immediately. The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support in this situation or if you are concerned about the safety of a young person.
“You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected].” ENDS
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