Claims BBC presenter dealing with express images allegations ‘broke lockdown rules’
A
23-year-old particular person has claimed the BBC presenter dealing with allegations over funds for sexually express images broke lockdown guidelines to fulfill them in the course of the pandemic, The Sun reported.
The newspaper stated it has seen messages which counsel the presenter travelled to see the younger particular person in February 2021, after assembly them on a relationship web site the earlier November.
The 23-year-old informed the Sun the presenter travelled from London to a unique county to fulfill them at their flat, when strict coronavirus lockdown guidelines have been in place together with a keep at house order and mixing solely between family bubbles.
The younger particular person informed the newspaper: “He came round for an hour…. We just chatted. He was obsessed with me making him a cup of tea.”
They stated the presenter additionally gave them greater than £600 in three funds, which the newspaper stated messages additionally counsel.
The 23-year-old additionally claimed the presenter requested if subsequent week was good to fulfill on December 18 2020, when restrictions meant a ban on households mixing indoors.
However, the younger particular person claims he made “excuses not to meet him” till two months later.
The particular person informed the newspaper: “The BBC were briefing the nation on the rules — when their star who was part of the institution was quite happy to break them.”
The Sun stated it had approached the BBC and the presenter for remark and would hand over proof to the BBC’s investigation group.
They seem like a separate particular person to the others who’ve made claims towards the presenter, who has been suspended by the BBC.
The Sun first made allegations on Friday concerning the unnamed presenter, claiming a unique younger particular person was paid round £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for sexually express pictures.
The younger particular person on the centre of the controversy stated on Monday by way of a lawyer, in response to BBC News At Six, that nothing inappropriate or illegal occurred with the unnamed presenter.
Their mom informed The Sun they stand by the claims and a spokesperson for the newspaper stated it’s “now for the BBC to properly investigate”.
An unnamed police pressure confirmed earlier at the moment it was contacted by the mother and father of {the teenager} in April, BBC News has reported.
The pressure stated that “no criminality was identified” initially, nonetheless it has since met with the Metropolitan Police and the BBC, it was alleged.
Earlier at the moment, the BBC stated a member of the family contacted the company in May and the BBC’s Corporate Investigations Team assessed that the claims didn’t embody an allegation of criminality however nonetheless merited additional investigation.
Director-general Tim Davie introduced he has ordered a assessment to “assess how some complaints are red flagged up the organisation”.
He informed reporters he was first knowledgeable of the allegations when the newspaper stated it could be publishing its entrance web page story.
The company has additionally been requested to pause its inside investigation into the allegations “while the police scope future work” following a gathering with the Metropolitan Police.
A press release from the broadcaster stated: “As a result of this meeting, the BBC has been asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the police scope future work.”
It added: “The BBC has processes and protocols for receiving information and managing complaints when they are first made. We always take these matters extremely seriously and seek to manage them with the appropriate duty of care.
“The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with the utmost diligence and care.
“There will, of course, be lessons to be learned following this exercise.”
On Tuesday, BBC News reported an individual of their early 20s – who the broadcaster stated shouldn’t be related to the particular person within the first report by the Sun – allegedly obtained threatening messages from the presenter.
According to the broadcaster, the presenter – who the BBC introduced on the weekend has been suspended – met the younger particular person on a relationship app, not in particular person and requested the younger particular person to not inform anybody.
The younger particular person later posted on-line alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinted they may title him.
The presenter then allegedly despatched plenty of “threatening messages”, which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed got here from a telephone quantity belonging to the unnamed man.
The BBC stated the younger particular person felt “threatened” by the messages and “remains scared”.
BBC News stated it had contacted the presenter by way of his lawyer, however had obtained no response to the allegations.