Huw Edwards BBC Presenter

According to his wife, Huw Edwards is being treated in a hospital for "serious mental health issues" after being named as the BBC broadcaster at the focus of the allegations.

After several days of rumours, his wife Vicky Flind stated she was speaking on his behalf, "primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children."

According to The Sun, he paid a teenager for sexually graphic pictures.

According to the Met Police, Edwards, 61, won't be subject to any police action.

According to the family statement, when the newsreader is healthy enough, he plans to directly address the accusations.

The statement said: "After five days that have been incredibly trying for our family, I am releasing this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards in light of the recent reports surrounding the 'BBC Presenter. The main reasons I'm taking this action are to safeguard our kids and to protect his mental health.

"Huw has significant mental health problems. He has just received treatment for serious depression, as is generally known.

He has experienced another critical episode and is currently getting inpatient hospital care, where he will remain for the foreseeable future. The events of the last few days have significantly deteriorated the situation.

No offence was made.

She expressed her hope in the statement provided through PA News that the identification of Edwards would put a stop to rumours regarding BBC presenters unrelated to the claims.

She claimed that on Thursday, her husband was "first informed that there were allegations being made against him."

The family's request for privacy was made in the statement, which also noted that Edwards' prior history of mental health issues had been made public knowledge.

Prior to the release of the family statement, the Met, which has been investigating the accusations following conversations with BBC management, provided a separate update.

It read, "Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command of the Metropolitan Police have now completed their assessment and have established there is no information to indicate a criminal offence has been committed.

The BBC, the alleged complainant, and the alleged complainant's family were all consulted in the decision-making process, both through another police force.

Detectives are "aware of media reporting of additional allegations against the same individual," according to the statement, but "have not yet received any specific details or information about these allegations... and as a result, there is no police action at this time."

The BBC declared that it would carry out more "fact-finding investigations" into the claims. It had been suspended at the Met's request so that it could conduct its own investigations.

A corporate spokesperson said: "We will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved."

Director General of the BBC Tim Davie stated that "this remains a very complex set of circumstances" in his email to workers.

He added: "At the centre of this are people and their families. The family statement is a reminder that the previous few days have seen personal lives played out in public.

"After a terrible few days, this will undoubtedly be a challenging time for many. I want to reassure you that taking care of everyone involved is our top priority right now.

The comments made last night "have acted like a dash of cold water to the face of all journalists," according to Craig Oliver, Huw Edwards' former supervisor on the Ten O'Clock News.

He said on the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme, "I think that one of the things that's really come out of this is should news just slow down and let the processes to take place, allow the facts to surface and then publish the story?

The revelation has brought up "much bigger issues for journalism," former ITN CEO Stewart Purvis added to the BBC.

He questioned, "Under what circumstances is it proper for a news organisation to look into and report on the private life of someone with a high level of public profile?

Since the middle of the 1980s, Edwards has worked for the BBC, progressing from a trainee role to one of BBC News' most recognised presenters.

He has led coverage of significant news events like elections and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in addition to hosting the Ten O'Clock News on television.

Initial accusations, which were first made public on Friday, claimed that the presenter had started paying a young individual for pornographic images while they were only 17 years old.

The mother and stepfather of the young person were the paper's sources, however a letter written on the young person's behalf by a lawyer called their version "rubbish."

Prior to their complaint to the BBC and account to the Sun, the young person's family claimed that South Wales Police had contacted them and informed them that there was no criminal conduct.

The force added in a different statement on Wednesday that it had just conducted additional investigations and had discovered "no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed."

The BBC released an inquiry on Tuesday after speaking with a person in their 20s who claimed the host sent them threatening and abusive messages.

The presenter allegedly broke Covid lockdown regulations in February 2021 to see a 23-year-old he had met online and sent what they called "quite pressurising" communications, according to a subsequent article in The Sun.

The presenter allegedly engaged in an Instagram conversation with a 17-year-old in which the presenter sent messages that included love heart emoticons. This conversation was also published by the publication.

The BBC was unable to independently confirm these messages.

The Sun has no intentions to publish any charges against Edwards, according to a spokeswoman, and will cooperate with the BBC's internal inquiry procedure.

"The allegations published by the Sun were always very serious," read a statement. In the last few days, additional significant charges have surfaced...

"The Sun will assist with the internal probe by the BBC. A secret, redacted dossier detailing severe, wide-ranging claims that we have received, including some from BBC staff, will be sent to the BBC team.

According to The Sun's explanation, the initial front page story did not accuse Edwards of criminal activity.

While the publication said Edwards had paid the person for photos when they were 17 years old, it did not explain whether or not such behaviour may be illegal. The law governing sexual imagery considers anyone under the age of 18 to be children. This is older than the legal drinking age, which is 16.

The Sun then modified this allegation's language to "it is understood contact between the two started when the youngster was 17" in later editions of the story.

Despite the accusations becoming public and being extensively debated, media organisations, including BBC News, initially chose not to identify the presenter out of respect for their privacy.

Huw Edwards BBC Presenter