BBC boss Tim Davie has admitted he KNEW Huw Edwards’ arrest was over the most serious level of sex abuse pics – but kept paying him.
In an interview with BBC News tonight, Tim Davie said the corporation had taken “difficult decisions in a fair and judicious manner”.
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Asked about how much the BBC was told in November, he said: “We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offences.”
BBC bosses were not aware of the ages of the children in the images, he added.
Asked about whether Edwards would still receive his pension, Davie said it was “very difficult to claw back, nigh on impossible”.
Davie added: “These are unfortunately the specifics of how it works.
“When it comes to pay, again, legally challenging, but we’ll look at all options.”
It comes after Davie was hauled in by the Culture Secretary for an urgent explanation of the handling of the Huw Edwards scandal.
News at Ten anchor and “face of the BBC” Edwards pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children yesterday.
The BBC has confirmed it knew in November their star newsreader had been arrested over child sex images – but kept paying him for another five months.
Edwards, who had been suspended in relation to different allegations, remained employed on a full salary of nearly £480,000 until he quit the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.
The Sun revealed today that Edwards invited a young TV producer to stay in his hotel room at Prince Philip’s funeral.
The fallen ex-BBC presenter even sent a picture of the suite – understood to have been licence-payer funded suite and which only had one bed – as he urged the producer to join him.
But the young worker, who had been in touch with the star after meeting online, declined the offer which would have in breach of strict Covid rules at the time.
The producer was one of several young BBC staff who paedophile Edwards, 62, messaged with unwanted advances that became a pattern of behaviour.
The telly worker has now left the Beeb after also receiving unwanted advances from another of its stars.
Our revelations come a day after disgraced Edwards – who now faces jail – admitted child abuse image offences in court.
At the time of Prince Philip’s April 2021 state funeral, indoor mixing was barred – leaving the late Queen famously pictured in mourning and alone at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
The BBC led coverage of the event – with pictures beamed around the world – and had hundreds of staff working on coverage of funeral, which included information on the latest Covid regulations.
But Edwards appeared happy to flout rules, sending messages inviting the producer in their 20s to join him.
The day before the funeral, he told the producer he was staying overnight in Windsor, writing: “Staying there overnight then all day Saturday.
“If you’re around tomorrow night let me know.”
The next morning – the day of the ceremonial funeral on Saturday April 17, 2021 – he wrote: “Missed a good night.
“You could have stayed here.
“We had a nice evening after the show.”
He then sent the picture of the room, showing a posh suite with one double bed, mounted wall mirrors, a small sofa, chairs and a coffee table.
In the corner of the photo, a Covid face mask can be seen on the seat atop a note pad.
Alongside it, the BBC star – who had been asked if there was a spare room – wrote: “Not spare but plenty of room.”
The shocking invite came among a glut of messages Edwards sent to the young worker.
Others saw him repeatedly try to meet the producer with invites to a pad in central London.
Married dad-of-five Edwards started messaging after the producer – who looked up to the presenter due to his stature at the Beeb – followed him online.
The TV host messaged the producer online and then asked them to switch their chat to WhatsApp.
One of former News Ten anchor Edwards’ first messages saw him say: “Hello beauty.”
The TV worker said: “He wanted to meet in private and put quite a lot of pressure on me to do so.
“I thought it was odd and very inappropriate given his position and the age gap.”
And – responding to Edwards pleading guilty – the producer added: “I am shocked but it just shows what sort of person he is, and that people were right to try to speak out.”
The messages came during the period – between December 2020 and August 2021 – that Edwards accessed indecent images sent to him by paedophile Alex Williams, 25.
He sent the veteran newsreader 41 images – including two videos of a boy aged seven to nine – in a vile WhatsApp exchange.
The BBC has been contacted.
