Britain’s BBC has defended its handling of an allegation that one of its senior presenters paid a young person for explicit images, after acknowledging that it did not flag a complaint to senior management until a tabloid newspaper approached it.
Britain’s leading broadcaster has been rocked by a report in the Sun newspaper that the presenter had paid a young person 35,000 pounds ($45,000) for explicit photos over three years, beginning when the person was 17.
The presenter has been suspended but not named, angering other high-profile stars who have fallen under suspicion on social media.
On Monday the BBC reported that it had received a letter from a lawyer acting for the young person in the case, to say the allegations were “rubbish”.
The 100-year-old broadcaster said on Tuesday it had paused its own investigation while the police examine the circumstances. The police said they had requested this to establish whether there was evidence of a criminal offence.
“There remains no police investigation at this time,” they said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the allegations were “very serious and concerning”.
The age of consent for sex in England is 16, but images of someone under 18 can be considered child pornography.
According to a timeline published by the broadcaster, a member of the young person’s family walked into a BBC building on May 18 to make a complaint. The family member contacted BBC Audience Services the next day.
The BBC said it made two unsuccessful attempts – one email and one phone call – to respond to the complainant.
The Sun contacted the BBC seven weeks later on July 6 with different allegations, the broadcaster said on Tuesday, and senior management were informed for the first time.
Director General Tim Davie said: “There was a process of trying to verify the serious complaint (…) but we had not talked to the presenter until we got the allegations on the sixth [July], and we talked to them on the day.”
Davie, who said he had not personally spoken to the presenter, said the new information provided by the Sun on July 6 “clearly related to potential criminal activity”.
“The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with the utmost diligence and care,” he told reporters after the BBC published its annual report.
IMPARTIAL
Funded by a licence fee paid by every TV-watching household, the BBC often faces criticism as it tries to be impartial. Earlier this year its highest paid presenter Gary Lineker sparked a free-speech row by criticising the government’s immigration policy.
It faced its gravest crisis in 2012 when it emerged that Jimmy Savile, one of the most recognisable TV personalities of the 1970s and 80s, was a prolific sex offender.
The corporation is now trying to investigate the claim against the presenter, protect that person’s privacy while the facts are established, and respond publicly to the allegations, all while avoiding placing high-profile staff under suspicion.
(Reuters)