Ex-BBC anchor Edwards avoids jail over ‘repugnant’ child images

LONDON: Former BBC anchor Huw Edwards, once one of the most trusted and recognisable faces on British television, on Monday avoided jail over indecent photographs of children, capping a stunning fall from grace.

The 63-year-old presenter was instead handed a six-month sentence, suspended for two years, meaning he will not serve any time in prison if he does not reoffend. Edwards guided Britons through some of their country´s most seismic events over the past two decades, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

His calm delivery -- mixed with the public broadcaster´s reputation for journalistic impartiality -- made him a reassuring presence for millions. But his reputation and career now lie in tatters after he pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021.

Sentencing Edwards, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said that if jailed he would have been at risk of “considerable harm” from others, and of suicide, adding that he had also shown remorse. Edwards sat in the dock at Westminster Magistrates´ Court in central London with his hands clasped as if in prayer.

The former anchor had admitted receiving 41 indecent images of children over WhatsApp sent by a 25-year-old convicted paedophile, including seven of the most serious type. Most children were aged 13 to 15 and one was between seven and nine. But the magistrate said that while the offences were extremely serious there was no need for an immediate custodial sentence.