BBC suspends journalist over teenager’s sexually explicit photos
On Sunday, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced the suspension of one of its presenters for paying a teenager for explicit sexual content.
In a statement released Sunday, the BBC said it “takes any allegations seriously, and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations,” adding that “we can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.”
The BBC did not disclose the presenter’s name.
The incident became public earlier this year after UK-based news outlet The Sun newspaper reported that a leading BBC male presenter gave a then 17-year-old teenager up to £35,000 for explicit sexual photos starting in 2017.
According to the Sun, the teenager’s mother had complained about the incident to the BBC, but the presenter remained on air. The legal sexual consent age is 16, but making or possessing indecent images of anyone under 18 is a crime.
“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,” added the statement. “We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.”
The BBC noted that it “first became aware of a complaint in May” and that new allegations were “put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.”
The media outlet said, “We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.”
Meanwhile, the UK Metropolitan Police said it had received “initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made.”
