Teenager says ‘nothing unlawful’ occurred with BBC presenter – report
T
he younger individual on the centre of the BBC controversy has stated “nothing inappropriate or illegal” took place between them and the presenter, according to a report.
A male member of BBC staff has been suspended following claims first published in the Sun newspaper that he paid a young person around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for explicit images.
But in a letter reported by BBC News at Six, the young person concerned said via a lawyer: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are ‘rubbish’.”
A spokesperson for the Sun said: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns.
“It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
Police are carrying out further inquiries to establish whether any crime has been committed after BBC representatives met with detectives on Monday morning.
The Sun reported on Monday that the presenter had made “panicked” calls to the individual final week after the allegations grew to become recognized.
The company stated it had been investigating a grievance since May, and that new claims of a “different nature” were brought to it on Thursday.
As well as being in touch with the police, the BBC is carrying out its own inquiries and talking to the young person’s family.
Scotland Yard on Monday said detectives had met virtually with BBC representatives and that “further enquiries” had been happening to ascertain whether or not there may be proof of a legal offence.
“There is no investigation at this time,” a spokesperson stated.
BBC director-general Tim Davie is because of face the media on Tuesday for a scheduled briefing following the discharge of the company’s annual report.
In a word to workers on Sunday, he stated: “The BBC grew to become conscious of a grievance in May; the BBC investigations staff have been trying into this because it was raised and have been actively following up.
“New allegations, of a unique nature, had been put to us on Thursday, and, along with our personal inquiries, now we have additionally been in contact with exterior authorities, in keeping with our protocols.
“I may verify that now we have suspended a member of workers.”
He added: “By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.
“We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate.”
The teenager’s mom informed The Sun newspaper she noticed an image of the presenter on her youngster’s telephone “sitting on a settee in his home in his underwear”.
The mother said she was told it was “a picture from some kind of video call” and regarded like he was “preparing for my youngster to carry out for him”.
The family were said to have complained to the BBC on May 19, but allegedly became frustrated that the star remained on air.
On Monday, the newspaper reported that the presenter had made “panicked” calls to the younger individual following the allegations, claiming that he requested “What have you ever achieved?” and told them to tell their mother to stop the investigation.
Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Nicky Campbell are among the BBC stars to have publicly stated that they are not the presenter in question.
Campbell suggested he had contacted police about being falsely mentioned online in connection with the story.
He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police logo and the words: “Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.”
“I believe it’s essential to take a stand. There’s simply too many of those folks on social media. Thanks in your assist buddies,” he wrote.