BBC Presenter Suspended Amid Claims He Paid Teenager For Sexual Images

[surfroshan]

A top BBC presenter has been suspended amid allegations he paid a teenager tens of thousands of pounds for explicit images.

The corporation announced the suspension in a statement on Sunday afternoon UK time, but did not name the individual at the heart of the allegations.

The BBC is also in dialogue with the Metropolitan Police about the issue. Deadline understands that the BBC was in touch with police before The Sun published allegations about the unnamed star on Friday.

The Met confirmed that the BBC had made contact, but said it requires more information before deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.

The British tabloid newspaper reported that the high-profile presenter paid a teenager more than £35,000 ($45,000) in return for explicit pictures.

The exchanges allegedly date back to 2020 when the teenager was aged 17. The individual has reportedly used the cash to fund a crack cocaine habit.

It is illegal in the UK “to make, distribute, possess or show any indecent images of anyone aged under 18, even if the content was created with the consent of that young person.”

The BBC has faced serious questions in recent hours about why it did not take action sooner against the mystery presenter.

The mother of the teenager involved told The Sun that she complained to the BBC on May 19, but the presenter continued to host high-profile output until last week.

In its statement, the corporation appeared to address concerns over inaction, saying that the allegations reported by The Sun were of a “different nature” to the complaint it received in May.

In a statement, the BBC said: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.

“This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care. We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended. We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.”

Earlier on Sunday, the UK government called on the BBC to “urgently and sensitively” investigate the “deeply concerning” claims. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, are in contact.

The teenager’s mother blamed the presenter for “destroying my child’s life.” She said the presenter did little to conceal his identity and requested “performances.”

Deadline has spoken to several BBC and industry sources about the identity of the presenter and the name of one individual has come up repeatedly. At least four other presenters, including Gary Lineker, have had to deny that they are the mystery star amid wild and defamatory speculation on social media.

The Met Police said: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation has been made. We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.”