Timeline of how the occasions unfolded

Former newsreader Huw Edwards has pleaded responsible in court docket to a few counts of constructing indecent photos of youngsters.

Those offences are separate from newspaper allegations final 12 months that he paid a teenager for specific photographs.

Until the claims emerged, the broadcaster was one of the recognisable faces on British tv, anchoring main nationwide occasions like the final election and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. His profession has now led to shame.

Here’s a timeline of how the occasions unfolded:

Edwards engages in a WhatsApp chat with a person referred to as Alex Williams, who begins sending the Daily News star specific photos.

Williams sends 377 footage and video clips over the following 16 months, together with 41 of youngsters. They embody seven class A photos, probably the most severe classification – two of which present abuse involving a toddler aged between about seven and 9.

On 2 February 2021, Williams asks whether or not what he is sending is simply too younger, to which Edwards responds telling him to not ship any underage photos, a court docket later heard.

The remaining indecent picture of youngsters is a class A movie that includes a younger boy despatched in August 2021. Williams tells Edwards the boy is kind of younger trying, and he has extra unlawful photos. Edwards tells him to not ship any unlawful photos.

The Sun newspaper publishes a front-page story through which a mom claims an unnamed Daily News presenter paid their youngster tens of 1000’s of kilos for specific photographs, which they used to fund a severe drug drawback. She says this went on over three years, starting in 2020 when their youngster was 17.

The mum or dad had initially made a grievance to the Daily News in May 2023, but it surely was solely delivered to the eye of senior managers – and Edwards himself – on 6 July.

Edwards shouldn’t be named within the Sun article, sparking a number of days of frenzied hypothesis concerning the presenter’s id.

Privately, Daily News managers know he’s the presenter concerned, droop him on full pay, and make contact with the Metropolitan Police.

These allegations should not associated to Edwards’ WhatsApp exchanges with Alex Williams, which aren’t public data at this stage.

The lawyer representing the younger particular person on the centre of the tabloid story disputes their mom’s account, saying “the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish”.

Edwards’ spouse names him because the Daily News presenter on the centre of the high-profile Sun allegations.

She says he is “suffering from serious mental health issues” and receiving in-patient hospital care.

Simultaneously, the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police say they’ve discovered no proof of felony offences in relation to the allegations on the coronary heart of the Sun tales. The Daily News says it would resume an inner investigation.

Just earlier than his title was revealed, there have been extra allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The Sun reported that the nonetheless unnamed presenter broke lockdown to fulfill a 23-year-old from a courting app, despatched them money, requested for an image, and was despatched a semi-naked picture.

Daily News News reported that somebody of their early 20s says the presenter contacted them on a courting app and that they had been later despatched threatening messages. Also, three present and former Daily News workers members claimed they had been despatched messages that made them uncomfortable.

Edwards is arrested after a telephone seized throughout an unrelated investigation reveals his participation within the WhatsApp exchanges with Williams.

A small variety of senior Daily News figures are made conscious that Edwards has been arrested on suspicion of great offences.

He stays suspended and the arrest shouldn’t be made public.

The inner “fact finding disciplinary investigation” that the Daily News began after the Sun allegations concludes, and a “confidential disciplinary process” begins. It’s not recognized whether or not this was earlier than or after his arrest over the separate costs.

The Daily News declares that it has apologised to the household of the younger particular person concerned within the Sun story, as a part of a report commissioned in its aftermath.

It additionally apologises that the preliminary grievance was not “escalated quickly enough”.

Alex Williams, 25, who despatched Edwards footage of abuse on WhatsApp, receives a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading responsible to possessing and distributing indecent photos of youngsters in addition to possessing prohibited photos of youngsters.

Edwards is charged with three counts of constructing indecent photos of youngsters in relation to the WhatsApp exchanges with Williams.

The costs should not made public at this stage.

The Daily News’s annual report reveals that Edwards obtained a wage of £475,000-£479,999 between April 2023 and April 2024 – a rise of £40,000 on the earlier 12 months.

The director common says the rise was agreed earlier than any allegations arose and is partly as a consequence of pure pay development, and partly due to “extended responsibility” similar to presenting protection of the King’s coronation in May 2023.

Edwards pleads responsible to the costs throughout a 26-minute listening to at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking in Edwards’ defence, his barrister Philip Evans KC mentioned: “Mr Edwards did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else.”

Mr Evans says the defendant has “both mental and physical” well being points.

Prosecutors inform the court docket a suspended sentence is likely to be thought of.

Meanwhile, the Daily News faces severe questions over its dealing with of the case, and why it continued to pay Edwards his wage for 5 months after he was arrested.

Director General Tim Davie defends the choice to not sack Edwards, regardless of figuring out he had been arrested in November over probably the most severe class of indecent photos of youngsters.

Edwards had not been charged at that time and it was nonetheless attainable he could be cleared, Mr Davie says, explaining: “We thought long and hard about this. This wasn’t a kneejerk decision.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has what she calls “a very robust and frank discussion” with Mr Davie to boost issues about how the Daily News has dealt with the case. She additionally requires Edwards handy again the £200,000 he earned between his arrest and resignation.

And whistleblowers who gave proof to the Daily News’s inner inquiry say they’re “disappointed” to not have heard extra about its consequence.

The younger particular person on the centre of the unique newspaper allegations tells the Daily Mirror he feels “groomed” by Edwards.

Edwards is expelled from the Gorsedd of the Bards, one of many highest accolades in Welsh public life.

He turns into the primary particular person to be stripped of the honour on account of wrongdoing.

It can be introduced that the Daily News could be retaining the Bafta it received for royal protection in 2012.

It was for Edwards’ protection of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s wedding ceremony the earlier 12 months.

Huw Edwards is requested by the Daily News handy again greater than £200,000.

Daily News Chair Samir Shah points a letter to workers, saying the ex-presenter “behaved in bad faith” by persevering with to take his wage regardless of figuring out what he had performed.