Former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to three counts of making indecent images of children. The 62-year-old, once one of the most trusted faces on British television, admitted to receiving 41 indecent images via WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
The court heard that Edwards engaged in online chats with an adult man who sent him 377 sexual images, including seven category A (the most severe), 12 category B, and 22 category C. One category A image featured a child aged between seven and nine. Most of the images involved children aged 13 to 15. The bulk of the indecent images, 36, were sent during a two-month period.
Edwards, who joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984, became the corporation’s highest-paid newsreader, earning between £475,000 and £479,999 in 2023/24. He presented the News at Ten for 20 years and led coverage of major events, including the late Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation. He resigned from the BBC in April.
During the hearing, Edwards appeared nervous and fidgeted with his hands. He pleaded guilty without emotion, staring into the distance. His barrister, Philip Evans KC, noted there was no suggestion Edwards had produced the images. The Metropolitan Police confirmed Edwards was arrested in November 2023 and charged in June 2024. He was bailed pending sentencing.
The guilty plea marks a dramatic fall for Edwards, who was awarded for his coverage of the Queen’s state funeral and received the Broadcast Awards’ special recognition award earlier this year. The case has exposed the double life of a broadcaster once admired by royalty and the public alike.
