BBC knew Huw Edwards had been arrested in November

The BBC was aware in November that Huw Edwards had been detained on suspicion of committing severe crimes, as confirmed by the organization.

The news anchor, who left his job in April, would have been fired if he had been charged while still working at the BBC.

The announcement was made after Edwards admitted guilt on Wednesday at Westminster Magistrates' Court to three charges of producing inappropriate images of minors.

He viewed inappropriate photos of children as young as seven on WhatsApp from December 2020 to August 2021. The police mentioned that these images were sent to him by a previously convicted child abuser.

Lisa Nandy, who is in charge of culture, has asked for a meeting with the head of the BBC to discuss how they have dealt with the situation. They are expected to meet on Thursday.

The BBC News did not know about Edwards' arrest or charges until they were publicly announced on Monday. The BBC News operates independently when reporting on the BBC.

Following Edwards admitting guilt, the company expressed its shock: "The BBC is deeply disturbed by the information revealed in court. There is no tolerance for such unacceptable actions and our sympathy goes out to those impacted."

The blog was informed privately in November 2023 that Edwards had been arrested for serious crimes and later released on bail as the police looked into the matter further.

"At that moment, Mr Edwards had not been accused of any crimes and the BBC had been informed of the serious health concerns he was facing," the statement added.

The company stated that if Mr. Edwards had been charged while working at the BBC, they would have promptly fired him. However, he was no longer employed by the BBC when he was charged.

It emphasized that the BBC had maintained a distinction between its corporate management and editorial functions during this time.

"We are still incredibly surprised by what Mr. Edwards did and our prayers are with everyone who has been impacted," the statement expressed.

Edwards was put on hold by the BBC last July after allegations surfaced in the Sun newspaper that he had given money to a young individual in exchange for inappropriate images.

The Metropolitan Police stated that there was no proof of illegal actions connected to those accusations, and that the ongoing case was unrelated.

The Sun released their report after talking to the mother of the individual involved.

After Edwards confessed to the crime, she shared with the newspaper that it deeply disturbed her that he possessed videos of the young boy while also engaging in inappropriate conversations with her own child, requesting explicit images.

She mentioned that, following backlash for speaking to the media, she "sensed that everyone was against me".

The BBC's recent yearly summary showed that Edwards earned a salary of around £475,000-£479,999 from April 2023 to April 2024, which was £40,000 more than the year before.

According to a BBC insider, the corporation doesn't think they can recover any of the money they have already paid or any future pension payments from Edwards.

Edwards confessed to possessing 41 inappropriate pictures of children that had been shared with him by another man through WhatsApp.

They added seven images in the highest category, which is the most severe classification. Among these, two images depicted a child approximately between seven and nine years old.

Category A pictures display severe forms of abuse such as penetration during sexual activities.

He also possessed 12 category B images, depicting non-penetrative sexual acts, as well as 22 photos in category C, which display other inappropriate images. These photos featured children aged 12 to 15.

Following the court appearance on Wednesday, law enforcement stated that the inquiry into Edwards was initiated when a phone confiscated during a separate investigation uncovered the broadcaster's involvement in a WhatsApp chat.

The police confirmed that Alex Williams, a 25-year-old previously convicted for child abuse, was the individual who exchanged images with Edwards.

Williams admitted to having and sharing images of different levels of severity, including pictures of children that are not allowed by law.

He received a 12-month suspended jail sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in March.

Edwards admitted to three counts of creating inappropriate images of a minor. In legal terms, a photograph can also refer to video recordings.

Creating inappropriate images can be interpreted in many different ways by the law, and it includes more than just capturing or recording the initial image or video.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, accessing child pornography can come in various forms, such as opening an email attachment with inappropriate content, downloading images from a website onto a computer screen, storing inappropriate images on a device, viewing explicit content on a website where images appear unexpectedly in pop-up windows, receiving unsolicited images through social media, or live-streaming inappropriate content involving children.

A court must also determine if a crime is classified as possession, distribution, or production.

As per the Sentencing Council, creating the original image from an external source is considered production, which is the most severe category. The Council also states that simply downloading an image should be considered as possession when it comes to sentencing.

In these situations, individuals may face sentences of anywhere from six months to three years behind bars. But instead of serving time in prison, they may be given a community order that includes undergoing a sex offender treatment program "if there is a good chance of being rehabilitated".