Teenager says allegations about BBC presenter are ‘rubbish’ – lawyer
he teenager on the centre of the BBC controversy mentioned nothing inappropriate or illegal occurred with the unnamed presenter and that the allegations are “rubbish”, their lawyer mentioned in a letter to the broadcaster.
The Sun reported on Monday that the presenter had made “panicked” calls to the younger particular person final week following allegations made by the newspaper on the weekend.
Claims had been made by the newspaper on Friday that the presenter paid tens of 1000’s of kilos for sexually specific photographs.
In a letter reported by BBC News At Six, the younger particular person mentioned through 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’.”
The authorized consultant additionally claimed, the news programme mentioned, that {the teenager} advised The Sun on Friday night forward of the newspaper publishing the story that there was “no truth to it”.
The lawyer known as the article on the entrance web page “inappropriate”, the news present additionally reported.
BBC News additionally mentioned it does know the id of the younger particular person and has not spoken to them straight, however mentioned the letter was acquired by a multinational regulation agency.
Police mentioned they’re finishing up additional inquiries to ascertain whether or not any crime has been dedicated after BBC representatives met with detectives on Monday morning.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command met with representatives from the BBC on the morning of July 10. They are assessing the knowledge mentioned on the assembly and additional enquiries are happening to ascertain whether or not there’s proof of a legal offence being dedicated
A spokesperson for The Sun mentioned: “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.”
The teenager’s mom advised The Sun newspaper she noticed an image of the presenter on her little one’s telephone “sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear”.
The mom mentioned she was advised it was “a picture from some kind of video call” and appeared like he was “getting ready for my child to perform for him”.
The household had been mentioned to have complained to the BBC on May 19, however allegedly grew to become pissed off that the star remained on air.
Earlier right now, the newspaper reported that the presenter had made “panicked” calls to the younger particular person following the allegations, claiming that he requested “What have you done?” and advised them to inform their mom to cease the investigation.
The BBC mentioned it had been investigating a criticism since May, and that new claims of a “different nature” had been delivered to it on Thursday.
As effectively as being in contact with the police, the BBC is finishing up its personal inquiries and speaking to the younger particular person’s household.
The Metropolitan Police mentioned in a press release: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command met with representatives from the BBC on the morning of July 10. The meeting took place virtually.
“They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed.
“There is no investigation at this time.”
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 notice to workers on Sunday, he mentioned: “The BBC became aware of a complaint in May; the BBC investigations team have been looking into this since it was raised and have been actively following up.
“New allegations, of a different nature, were put to us on Thursday, and, in addition to our own inquiries, we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.
“I can also confirm that we have suspended a member of staff.”
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.”
By regulation, people are entitled to an affordable expectation of privateness, which is making this case extra complicated
Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Nicky Campbell are among the many BBC stars to have publicly acknowledged that they don’t seem to be the presenter in query.
Campbell prompt he had contacted police about being falsely talked about on-line in reference to the story.
He tweeted a screenshot which featured the Metropolitan Police emblem and the phrases: “Thank you for contacting the Metropolitan Police Service to report your crime.”
“I think it’s important to take a stand. There’s just too many of these people on social media. Thanks for your support friends,” he wrote.