8 months ago
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A paedophile who shared vile kid enactment images with Huw Edwards has been revealed for the archetypal time. Alex Williams, 25, sent the seasoned newsreader 41 images - including 2 videos of a lad arsenic young arsenic 7 - successful a sick WhatsApp chat.
He antecedently pleaded blameworthy to a drawstring of kid enactment offences and was handed a suspended sentence.
When constabulary launched a probe into the convicted paedophile, they seized a telephone that exposed Edwards’ crimes.
The erstwhile BBC presenter yesterday admitted 3 counts of making indecent images of children.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told 7 of the 41 images autumn nether Category A - the astir superior classification.
This included 2 moving images of a young boy, perchance aged betwixt 7 and 9 years old.
He besides had photos of different children aged betwixt 13 and 15 stored connected his telephone that were classed arsenic Category A.
A further 12 images were grouped arsenic Category B and 19 arsenic Category C.
Edwards had engaged successful an online chat with Williams connected WhatsApp betwixt December 2020 and August 2021.
During this time, the paedophile sent Edwards 377 intersexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children. It has present emerged Williams pleaded blameworthy successful March to 7 offences relating to possessing and distributing indecent images.
He was handed a 12-month jailhouse word suspended for 2 years.
His household person present spoken of their daze and revealed Williams graduated from assemblage successful Cardiff 2 years ago.
Williams’ parents told the Daily Mail their lad is nary longer surviving with them and denied having immoderate cognition of his crimes.
His grandma claimed she had nary thought her “quiet” grandson was progressive successful the Edwards affair.
The gran said: “He’s a quiescent boy, helium works successful Cardiff, I’m not definite what helium does.
“This is simply a daze to maine now.”
Edwards is present facing a maximum 10 twelvemonth condemnation erstwhile helium is sentenced connected September 16.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Edwards had not created immoderate of the images himself.
In February 2021, Williams asked Edwards whether the pictures helium was sending were excessively young - causing the broadcaster to inquire not to nonstop thing illegal.
Then successful August 2021, Edwards was sent a video featuring a lad who was “of younger property than virtually each of the different indecent images”.
Williams told Edwards the lad was rather young looking, and that helium had much images which were illegal.
The tribunal heard Edwards told him not to nonstop immoderate amerciable images.
No much of these pictures oregon video were sent and the brace continued to speech ineligible pornographic images until April 2022.
The seasoned broadcaster was arrested successful November and charged connected June 26 - though the accusation was lone released connected Monday.
The BBC yesterday confirmed it knew successful November their prima newsreader had been arrested but kept paying him for different 5 months.
Corporation chiefs, who revealed they recovered retired that 1 of their highest-profile newsreaders had been questioned implicit kid enactment images successful November, condemned his “abhorrent behaviour”.
The BBC continued to wage Edwards, who had been suspended successful narration to antithetic allegations but remained employed connected a afloat wage of astir £480,000 ($A940,000) until helium discontinue the broadcaster connected “medical advice” successful April.
It was revealed successful the BBC’s yearly report, presented past week by Director-General Tim Davie, that Edwards was the 3rd highest-paid prima from April 2023 to March this year.
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