Huw Edwards was only exposed as a paedophile after Welsh detectives investigating another sex offender uncovered the BBC star’s number in a depraved WhatsApp chat, MailOnline can reveal.
Edwards, 62, today pleaded guilty to making 41 indecent images of children, which included two sexual videos of a boy under nine.
Now it has emerged the disgraced news reader – who helmed royal and political events at the BBC before resigning in April – was only exposed by chance by cops in Wales.
Detectives stumbled onto the household-named star while investigating another paedophile, 25-year-old Alex Williams from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
When officers from South Wales Police seized Williams’ phone, they uncovered a vile WhatsApp chat full of child pornography – which father-of-five Edwards was involved in.
The Metropolitan Police is facing a backlash over the alleged ‘secrecy’ surrounding the child porn investigation into ex-BBC News star Huw Edwards
News of the broadcaster’s offences came to light in a bombshell statement by the Met on Monday – more than a month after he was charged (Edwards is seen leaving court today)
Welsh police uncovered the broadcaster crimes during a separate probe into a sex offender in Wales. Edwards is pictured in court today
A Met spokesman said: ‘The investigation into Huw Edwards began in November 2023 after information was received from South Wales Police.
‘An examination of a phone seized by South Wales officers as part of an entirely unrelated investigation had revealed Edwards’ participation in a WhatsApp conversation.
‘There was no connection between this investigation and the matters reviewed in July 2023.
‘One other person was charged in relation to the messages shared via WhatsApp.
‘He is Alex Williams, 25, of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Williams pleaded guilty to seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police.’
Edwards was arrested on November 8, 2023 before being charged on June 26 with three counts of making indecent images.
Seven of the pictures were category ‘A’ images of the very worst kind. This included two moving images of a young boy, possibly aged between seven and nine years old.
He also had photos of other children aged between 13 and 15 stored on his phone that were classed as Category A.
Williams, who was in a chat with Edwards, was sentenced to a total of 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years following a March 15 hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
Edwards, whose marriage and journalistic career have now been destroyed, will find out his fate during a sentencing hearing in September.
News of the disgraced broadcaster’s offences came to light in a bombshell statement by the Met on Monday.
Police today admitted the details of his charges were only revealed this week after a journalist spotted Edwards’ name listed in a court document.
Prior to that, the Met had planned to release a statement on Tuesday.
But legal experts and a former detective have argued the Met should have released a statement of the father-of-five’s crimes as soon as he was charged, with the London force now being accused of ‘secrecy’ surrounding the probe.
The scandal came little more than a year after Edwards paid a young person for sexually explicit images in an unrelated incident – with Metropolitan Police detectives at the time insisting there was ‘no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed’ in this case.
The Met Police is now facing a backlash over the alleged ‘secrecy’ surrounding the child porn investigation into Edwards and why his crimes weren’t revealed sooner.
Peter Bleksley, a veteran undercover officer and investigator who served with the Met, slammed the force for its ‘atrocious communications’ in a blistering broadside this afternoon.
Speaking to the MailOnline, he said: ‘This is a public interest matter, and the Met Police should be telling us what prompted the investigation.
Peter Bleksley (pictured) a veteran undercover officer and investigator who served with the Met, slammed the force for its ‘atrocious communications
The Met Police has insisted the way it handled the release of Edwards charges was not ‘unusual’ (file image)
‘Quite frankly to just pull down the shutter is not good enough. We have every right to know.
‘I suspect there may be some embarrassment by the Met that has prompted this. Was there an oversight made? Did they miss something in the initial investigation? It’s a very strange one.
‘Frankly, it’s not good enough. Huw Edwards is of huge public interest and a big personality, and we have a right to know.
‘Yet again it’s lamentable police communications which we have been plagued with in recent times.’
Legal experts have also expressed their concerns and admitted they had been left ‘perplexed’ by the case.
Asked whether the authorities ‘deliberately conspired’ to keep news of Edwards’ crimes a secret, solicitor Mark Stephens told TalkTV: ‘I’m perplexed by this… no matter how high or low you are, you should be subject to public scrutiny during your trial. It is unusual that they didn’t do that.’
He added what was ‘normal’ in high-profile cases like Edwards’ was for police forces to alert the press when someone has been charged with a crime as part of Britain’s policy of ‘open justice’ in the courts.
The presenter did not appear to say anything to the media as he was led into the court by police
Friends of the ex-BBC News host said he kept his arrest ‘a secret’ and that they were stunned when news he had been charged was revealed this week (he is pictured reading the news)
MailOnline has since questioned the Met about why it took so long for Edwards’ suspected crimes to be made publicly available.
A spokesman for the force defended its actions and said: ‘The approach taken in this case isn’t unusual.
‘Quite often when there is a lengthy gap between the date someone is charged and their first appearance we will publish the details immediately before the first appearance.
‘The purpose of us releasing the details is to allow media to cover the court proceedings so providing it is prior to that date we have met that requirement.
‘In this case, another media outlet spotted that the listings had gone up and asked us for our lines on Monday afternoon.
Edwards remained silent as he left the court building surrounded by the press today
‘Had nobody done so they would have been shared with media proactively on Tuesday, ahead of today’s hearing.’
The force added that although it initially said in July 2023 Edwards was not guilty of any criminal offence, following claims the disgraced star had paid a young person for explicit pictures, it pursued a criminal case against him as part of a ‘separate’ probe, which led to his arrest in November 2023.
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) added it was aware of the Met’s plans to release a media advisory about Edwards on Tuesday.
A CPS spokesperson said: ‘Decisions on charging announcements are based on operational factors and no defendant receives preferential treatment.
‘Our handling of this case followed our normal procedures working in partnership with police colleagues.’
The revelation comes as a former friend of Edwards branded the charges against him ‘horrible and disgusting’ after the fallen star pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children.
Edwards’ former colleague Sir Craig Oliver said that while the renowned presenter could be ‘difficult’, everyone who knows him will be ‘shocked’ at the admission.
He added there were questions raised about whether the 62-year-old was ‘throwing his weight around’ and misbehaving while at the BBC.
Another former friend of the star said: ‘It’s a mess – and tragic for all concerned’, adding that if the charges are true it is ‘also horrible and disgusting’.
The downfall of one of Britain’s most trusted voices who spent 40 years at the BBC has astounded those who know him and those who have watched him on TV.
Edwards was surrounded by media as he left the court in central London today
The famed former newsreader’s career now lies in tatters (pictured entering court today)
Edwards’ former colleague Sir Craig Oliver (pictured) said that while the renowned presenter could be ‘difficult’, everyone who knows him will be ‘shocked’ at the admission
Sir Craig said the former presenter could be a ‘very, very difficult and complicated’ man who ‘clashed with staff’ but that he did not think anyone suspected he had child abuse images.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World At One, Sir Craig, who edited the Ten O’Clock News and Six O’Clock News while Edwards was working there, said people had concerns about whether he was behaving well enough to other employees.
‘He could be a very, very difficult and complicated man. He would speak about being prone to bouts of depression and sometimes he clashed with staff.
‘But I think that most people who know him will be shocked that he’s pleaded guilty to this,’ Sir Craig said.
Asked whether he had heard any gossip about Edwards’ private life, he said: ‘When I was working with Huw which is well over 10 years ago now there wasn’t gossip about his private life then, but as the years have passed and as it got closer to the initial complaint that was made about him, there was gossip about his private life, what was going on.
‘There were also, I think, a number of people who were worried about his behaviour within the BBC – was he actually throwing his weight around and behaving well enough to other staff?
‘But I don’t think anybody suspected that there was child abuse imagery in his private life in any way, shape or form.’
Edwards was flanked by police officers when he turned up for court on Wednesday
Protesters stood outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court holding placards this morning
Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year and charged on June 26. He resigned from his £475,000-a-year role at BBC three months ago having kept news of his arrest a ‘secret’ from pals, former colleagues said.
The father-of-five moved out of the family home in Dulwich after separating from his TV producer wife, Vicky Flind.
Edwards, of Wandsworth, southwest London, spoke to confirm his date of birth, address and admit the three charges.
After entering his pleas, the disgraced newsreader sat staring into the distance, with his head tilted slightly upwards, and adjusted his tie as Ian Hope, prosecuting, laid out the case against him.
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 44 were indecent images of children.
The bulk of these, 36, were sent during a two-month period.
Mr Hope told the court there was ‘no suggestion’ Edwards had ‘anything to with making the images or indeed doing anything beyond the opening of the images.’
He said the Welshman ‘engaged in an online chat’ with a ‘male’ who ‘initially contacted’ him via social media.
The presenter did not appear to say anything to the media as he was led into the court
This was the moment Edwards entered his car before being driven away from the court
He now faces up to 10 years in jail for his crimes. Edwards is pictured leaving the court
Mr Hope said a ‘thread of WhatsApp conversations between the two’ was ‘uncovered’, adding: ‘In the thread the man sent still and moving pornographic images to Edwards between December and April 2022.
‘The prosecution say that this was clearly with Mr Edwards’ approval, and the two chatted about a number of the images sent.
‘Approximately 277 images were sent to Mr Edwards, 41 of which comprised indecent images of children – so just over 10 per cent of the total number of images sent.
‘The bulk of those indecent images of children – 36 of them – were sent to Mr Edwards during a two month period between December 2020 and February 2021, and indeed the bulk of those were sent over a two day period.’
The prosecutor said ‘these images appeared to have been received with approval.’
Speaking in Edwards’ defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC said: ‘There’s no suggestion in this case that Mr Edwards has… in the traditional sense of the word, created any image of any sort.
Friends of the ex-BBC News host said he kept his arrest ‘a secret’ and that they were stunned when news he had been charged was revealed this week
Edwards has since left the family home and has reportedly split with his TV producer wife, Vicky Flind (the pair are pictured together in 2018 in London)
‘It is important also to remember for context that devices, Mr Edwards’ devices, have been seized, have been searched, and there’s nothing in those devices.
‘It is only the images that are the subject of the charges that came via a WhatsApp chat.
Mr Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else.’
He added the broadcaster had ‘both mental and physical’ health issues.
He told the court: ‘It is obvious to the court, I’m sure, that Mr Edwards was not just of good character, but of exceptional character.’
Edwards presented the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) in 2011 and also the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021.
The reputation of the BBC has been destroyed by one paedophile scandal after another dating back over half a century – with Edwards becoming the latest child sex fiend to have been employed by the corporation.
The bombshell news of the veteran broadcaster’s child porn charges are said to have rocked Edwards’ former colleagues.
And it prompted questions about why it took prosecutors so long to reveal the charges Edwards is now facing.
One former colleague and friend told MailOnline: ‘Huw kept his arrest completely secret’.
‘It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged’, the friend from the BBC said.
Another former colleague of the star said: ‘It’s a mess – and tragic for all concerned.’
The BBC was also blindsided by the criminal charges against its former star presenter, with bosses only told of the allegations a few hours before they were made public, an insider has claimed.
A senior source told The Times: ‘The BBC was informed by the Met Police when a call came through [on Monday].’
News of Edwards’ guilty plea was welcomed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today, who said it would ‘send a clear message’ that offenders would be brought to justice.
Claire Brinton of the CPS said: ‘Accessing indecent images of underage people perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, which has deep, long-lasting trauma on these victims.
‘The CPS and the Metropolitan Police were able to prove that Edwards was receiving illegal material involving children via WhatsApp.
‘This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside with the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.’
A spokesperson for child abuse charity the NSPCC added: ‘Online child sexual abuse offences can have a devastating impact on victims and we should be in no doubt about the seriousness of Edwards’ crimes.
‘It can be extremely traumatic for young people to know sexual images of themselves have been shared online.’