DAY OF RECKONING
Huw Edwards’ shocking mugshot revealed as he avoids jail but is put on sex offenders’ register for seven years
He must attend a 40 day sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions
HUW Edwards' shocking mugshot has been revealed after he avoided jail today.
The former BBC presenter, 63, was given a six month sentence, suspended for two years.
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He must also attend a 40 day sex offender treatment programme and 25 rehabilitation sessions.
The veteran newsreader remained emotionless as he was put on the sex offenders register for seven years - meaning he has to notify the police of his whereabouts.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring told Edwards he had concluded that the custody threshold had been crossed.
He branded Edwards "perhaps the most-recognised newsreader in the UK", adding that the predator's reputation has now been left "in tatters".
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The appropriate sentence would be 12 months for the most severe abuse images, Mr Goldspring told the court.
However, taking into account the mitigation and early guilty plea, the sentence was reduced to six months suspended for two years.
The magistrate said Edwards did not pose a risk to the public or children and an immediate custodial sentence was not necessary because evidence showed he could be rehabilitated.
The court heard how Edwards was given the images in a depraved WhatsApp chat by convicted paedo Alex Williams.
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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 - including two videos of a boy as young as seven.
It comes as...
- Edwards has avoided jail and was handed a suspended sentence
- He was pictured arriving at court still wearing his wedding ring
- The presenter paid a paedo £1,500 for vile images of children
- The mum of a teen sent vile texts by Edwards has slammed the BBC
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard 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.
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 asked Edwards to buy gifts for him in exchange for "all the hot videos" - including a pair of Air Force 1 trainers for Christmas.
Williams also demanded hundreds of pounds a go for the images.
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".
Williams later sent Edwards a full file containing around 30 attachments - including indecent images of children.
He also warned the paedo "don't send anything underage", the court heard.
On August 11, 2021, Williams contacted Edwards and told him he had some "naughty" images".
Edwards told him to “go on”, and Williams says “young” before the newsreader repeated himself.
Williams said the victim in the image is quite young looking - causing Edwards to reply that "ages can be deceptive".
When the paedo suggested that some of the images may be illegal, Edwards replied: “Ah ok, don’t”.
Edwards avoided a jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
He had faced a maximum 12 months in jail for the offences after a judge kept the case at magistrates court rather than sending it to crown.
How are indecent images defined and categorised?
Under section 1 of Protection of Children Act 1978, it is an offence to possess indecent photographs of children.
The images are categorised under three groups ranging from A - the most serious - to C.
- Category A: Explicit material involving penetration, sexual activity with an animal or sadism (deemed the most severe).
- Category B: Explicit material that is non-penetrative sexual activity (the mid-range in terms of seriousness).
- Category C: Explicit material involving erotic posing (the least severe).
Source: The CPS
Seven of the images fall under Category A – the most serious classification.
This included two moving images of a young child, possibly aged between seven and nine years old.
He also had photos of other children aged between 13 and 15 stored on his phone.
A further 12 images were classed as Category B and 19 as Category C.
The court heard in July that Edwards did not create any of the images himself.
In mitigation, Philip Evans KC, defending, claimed Edwards did not make payments to Williams in order to receive indecent images of children.
He also claimed Edwards did not take any "gratification" from the pictures and videos.
The lawyer added: "Mr Edwards wishes to apologise. He wishes the court to know how profoundly sorry he is. He recognises the repugnant nature of such images and the hurt that is done to those who appear in such images.
“For his part in that, he apologies sincerely and he makes it clear that he has the utmost regret.
“He recognises he has betrayed the priceless trust and faith of so many people. He knows that he has hurt and damaged his family and his loved ones around him.
“He is truly sorry and he is truly sorry that he has committed these offences."
But the court was told Edwards was described as being at a "medium" risk of causing harm to children.
JPs also heard has suffered from depression and mental health issues.
He is currently doing well "therapeutically" in the psychiatric unit of the hospital environment where he is being treated.
A BBC spokesperson said after its former broadcaster Huw Edwards was sentenced: "We are appalled by his crimes.
"He has betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him."
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer said it was "for the court to decide" Huw Edwards' sentence - but that he was "shocked and appalled" by the case.
Speaking to reporters on a visit to Rome, the Prime Minister said: "I'm really shocked in relation to the Huw Edwards case, really shocked and appalled, as I'm sure everybody who has read or looked at it is."
Asked what he thought of suspended sentences in such cases and whether he would consider a review, he said: "As far as the sentence is concerned, I mean, that is for the court to decide, having looked at all the available evidence... I have also been busy all day so I haven't looked at it, and I'm not going to get into the business of commenting on court sentences.
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"That is a matter for the court.
"But was I shocked by what I have seen and heard? You bet I was."
EDWARDS UNMASKED
By Scarlet Howes | Sun Investigations Team
THE mum of a teen sent vile messages by Huw Edwards has hit out at the disgraced BBC host in an open letter.
She tells him he caused "immense pain and suffering" to her and her son in the pursuit of his "sick pleasure".
Edwards, 62, is due to be sentenced today over indecent images of children as young as seven found on his mobile phone.
Seven of the 41 he admitted to receiving were in Category A — the most serious classification.
The mother of the young man who Edwards paid tens of thousands of pounds to in return for sexually explicit pictures says the former news anchor should be locked up.
She writes: "Edwards has exploited very young children for his own sick ends and in my mind should go to prison.
"It breaks my heart as a mother to know that the man who groomed and controlled my son also shared the worst kind of child abuse picture.
"No paedophile who enjoys pictures of young kids should be free on the street."
Edwards is facing a possible jail sentence when he appears in court today and could spend the rest of his life on the sex offenders register.
The anguished mum of Huw Edwards' young victim has told the shamed BBC star: "All we cared about was stopping you."
She poured her heart out in an open letter after she exposed the shamed News at Ten presenter for sending her teenage son tens of thousands of pounds in return for sexually explicit pictures.
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