Huw Edwards was revealed as a paedophile through a stroke of luck by Welsh detectives investigating another offender, MailOnline can confirm. Edwards, 62, confessed today to creating 41 indecent images of children, including two sexual videos involving a boy under nine. The former BBC newsreader, known for covering royal and political events, was discovered by chance by South Wales Police while they were looking into another paedophile, Alex Williams, 25, from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
Upon seizing Williams’ phone, officers found a disturbing WhatsApp chat containing child pornography, in which paedophile Edwards, a father of five, was implicated. A Met Police spokesperson stated, “The investigation into paedophile Huw Edwards began in November 2023 after receiving information from South Wales Police. An examination of a phone seized by South Wales officers as part of an unrelated investigation revealed Edwards’ involvement in a WhatsApp conversation.”
Paedophile Edwards was arrested on November 8, 2023, and was formally charged on June 26 with three counts of making indecent images. Among these were seven Category ‘A’ images, the most severe kind, including two videos of a boy aged between seven and nine. Williams, who was part of the same chat, received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after a hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in March. Edwards, whose marriage and career have been shattered, will face sentencing in September.
The public learned about paedophile Edwards’ crimes from a bombshell statement by the Met on Monday. The details emerged after a journalist spotted Edwards’ name in a court document, prompting the Met to release a statement earlier than planned. Critics argue the Met should have disclosed Edwards’ charges immediately after he was charged, accusing the force of “secrecy” in handling the case. This scandal follows a separate incident where paedophile Edwards allegedly paid a young person for explicit images, a claim the Met previously said did not constitute a criminal offence.
Peter Bleksley, a former Met officer, criticised the force for poor communication, saying, “This is a public interest matter, and the Met Police should be transparent about what prompted the investigation.” Legal experts echoed these concerns, with solicitor Mark Stephens expressing confusion over the delayed disclosure, arguing that public scrutiny is essential in such high-profile cases. The Met defended its actions, stating, “The approach taken in this case isn’t unusual. We often release details immediately before the first appearance when there is a lengthy gap between charging and the court date.”
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it was aware of the Met’s plan to release a media advisory about paedophile Edwards. A CPS spokesperson said, “Decisions on charging announcements are based on operational factors, and no defendant receives preferential treatment.” Former colleagues and friends of paedophile Edwards, including Sir Craig Oliver, expressed shock and dismay at the revelations. Sir Craig described paedophile Edwards as a “difficult and complicated” man but said nobody suspected he had child abuse images.
Paedophile Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year and charged on June 26. He resigned from his £475,000-a-year BBC role three months ago and moved out of the family home after separating from his TV producer wife, Vicky Flind. In court, paedophile Edwards admitted the three charges and heard the case against him, which included receiving 377 sexual images, 44 of which were indecent images of children, via WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
Paedophile Edwards’ defence barrister, Philip Evans KC, stressed that Edwards did not create or distribute the images and has health issues. Edwards’ career highlights include presenting the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, and the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021. The BBC has faced numerous paedophile scandals over the decades, with Edwards being the latest disgraced figure. His former colleagues and friends were blindsided by the news of his charges.
The CPS welcomed paedophile Edwards’ guilty plea, emphasising the importance of holding offenders accountable for accessing indecent images. Child abuse charity NSPCC highlighted the severe impact such crimes have on victims.