The Met Police have issued a new statement as they have confirmed that they have met with the BBC over the allegations a presenter paid a teenager for sexual pictures
The Met Police have issued a new statement as they have confirmed that they have met with the BBC over the allegations a BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexual pictures.
A BBC presenter has been suspended after allegations they paid £35,000 to a teenager, then aged 17, in exchange for sexual pictures and is also reported to have appeared on a video call in his underwear.
The statement read: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command met with representatives from the BBC on the morning of Monday, 10 July. The meeting took place virtually.
“They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed.”
The BBC has confirmed it has been investigating a complaint since May when it was first made aware, and that new allegations of a “different nature” were raised on Thursday.
A BBC spokesman 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.”
The statement continued: “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.”
The BBC presenter could face a six-month prison sentence if they are found guilty of a criminal offence, according to a leading obscenity lawyer.
Myles Jackman, who has represented individuals accused of similar crimes, said possessing images of a child undertaking sexual acts had a starting sentence of 26 weeks in prison, which could increase substantially if they are found to have shared those images.
The mother of the alleged victim, who is now 20 years old, has claimed the money was used to fund a drug addiction.
