BBC suspends presenter accused of paying teen for sexually express photographs

By Reuters: Britain’s BBC suspended a male member of employees on Sunday following an allegation that one in all its star presenters paid a teen hundreds of kilos to pose for sexually express photographs, starting once they had been 17 years outdated.

The broadcaster mentioned it first turned conscious of a criticism in May, however new allegations of a unique nature had been made to it on Thursday, and it had knowledgeable “external authorities”.

London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned it had acquired preliminary contact from the BBC however no formal referral or allegation had been made.

“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow,” it mentioned in a press release.

The BBC mentioned it was a “complex and fast moving set of circumstances” and it was “working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps”.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended,” it mentioned in a press release.

The assertion mentioned “it is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care”, with out giving particulars on the claims.

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WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS?

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the allegations, cited the younger individual’s mom as saying the unnamed male presenter had paid {the teenager} greater than 35,000 kilos ($45,000) over three years for the pictures.

The mom instructed the newspaper that {the teenager} had used the money to fund a crack cocaine behavior.

The household complained to the broadcaster on May 19, however the presenter was not instantly taken off air, based on the Sun, which mentioned the household had not requested cost for his or her story.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held pressing talks with the broadcaster’s director basic, Tim Davie, earlier on Sunday in regards to the allegations, which she described as “deeply concerning”.

I’ve spoken to BBC Director General Tim Davie in regards to the deeply regarding allegations involving one in all its presenters. He has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively.
— Lucy Frazer (@lucyfrazermp) July 9, 2023

“(Davie) has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively,” she mentioned on Twitter.

“Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action.”

BBC’S RESPONSE

The BBC, which is funded by a licence price paid by each TV watching family, mentioned it “takes any allegations seriously” and had “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations”.

“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,” it mentioned.

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