Huw Edwards branded ‘twisted’ by ex-BBC colleague after child abuse images

Broadcaster Nicky Campbell has called his BBC colleague Huw Edwards ‘twisted’ after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.

The BBC Radio presenter, 63, also urged people to consider Edwards’ child victims who have been ‘callously exploited and psychologically destroyed in a statement on X.

Campbell’s post came after Edwards, 62, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams, with seven being of the most serious type.

After Edwards’ court appearance, Campbell wrote on social media: ‘Let’s think about the children in these images. Callously exploited and psychologically destroyed.

‘They are not images. They are humans who will live with this forever and all for the twisted pleasure of the disgusting men who trade and swap this misery. And don’t call it child “pornography” journalists. It is “abusive images”.’

He later posted: ‘And if mental health was mitigation for every custodial crime the prisons wouldn’t be at bursting point. They’d be half full.’

Campbell has previously spoken about being abused as a child by teachers at his private school in Scotland.

The TV and radio presenter was a victim of former Edinburgh Academy teachers John Brownlee, now 89, and Hamish Dawson – who died in 2009 – during his time at the school.

Brownlee was ruled by a court to have committed ‘cruel and unnatural acts’ of physical and emotional abuse on pupils at the school between 1967 and 1991, but was deemed medically unfit to stand trial and was not sentenced to prison.

Channel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy also posted on social media after Edwards attended a London court and had questions about the BBC’s handling of the incident.

The broadcaster admitted it knew of the veteran broadcaster’s arrest on ‘suspicion of serious offences’ in November, but continued employing him until April.

Edwards was previously the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and before his resignation in April was paid between £475,000 and £479,999 for the year 2023/24 for 160 presenting days.

Guru-Murthy wrote on X: ‘The BBC now admits it knew Huw Edwards had been arrested in November. They need to explain what they knew and when and why they kept it secret.’

A spokesperson for the BBC previously said: ‘In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer at the time was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation.

‘At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.’

The corporation added: ‘The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today. There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected.

‘Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court.

‘If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC.

‘During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions.’

On Wednesday, the mother who blew the whistle on Edwards for inappropriately interacting with her teenage child online and asking for sexual pictures.

The alleged interactions are not part of Edwards’ unfolding court case but the mother complained to The Sun last year as they did not believe the BBC was taking their concerns seriously.

Speaking to the publication again in the wake of Edwards’ guilty please, she said:

 ‘It sickens me to my core that he had those videos of that little boy when he was also talking to my child and asking them for sexual pictures.

‘I knew he was an abuser – but now I know he is truly a monster.’

Police said an investigation into Edwards began after a phone seized by officers as part of an unrelated probe revealed the broadcaster’s participation in a WhatsApp conversation.

The court heard that Edwards had been involved in online chat with an adult man on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.

The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.

On February 2, 2021 the male asked whether what he was sending was too young, in response to which Edwards told him not to send any underage images, the court heard.

The indecent images that were sent included seven category A, the worst, 12 category B, and 22 category C.

Of the category A images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was age between seven and nine, the court was told.

The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A film featuring a young boy.

The man told Edwards that the boy was quite young looking, and that he had more images which were illegal.

Edwards told him not to send any illegal images, the court was told.

No more were sent, and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.

Edwards will appear in court again on September 16.

Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.