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10th Jul 2023

BBC contact police over presenter allegedly paying a teenager for explicit images

Ellen Fitzpatrick

The BBC has reportedly contacted the Metropolitan Police over the allegations made about an unnamed presenter who paid a teenager for sexually explicit pictures.

The BBC presenter is reportedly a “household name” but their identity has not been released as the investigation is ongoing.

The Sun claims the male presenter paid a minor £35,000 for explicit photos. The BBC is reportedly taking the allegations extremely seriously and has launched an investigation into the claims.

The teenager, who is now 20, was 17 at the time of the alleged incident.

Speaking about the allegations, the London Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter, but no formal referral or allegation has been made.

“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.”

The broadcaster has since confirmed that a male member of staff has been suspended.

The BBC issued a statement, saying: “We treat any allegations very seriously, and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

“As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination, we will take steps to do this.

“That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.”

“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things, but it does not mean our enquiries stop.

“If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”

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