WhatsApp at the center of former BBC journalist accusations – media

Huw Edwards, a former BBC news anchor, has been charged with three counts of creating indecent images of children that were allegedly shared on a WhatsApp chat.

The broadcaster, who left the BBC in April citing “medical advice,” has been charged with making indecent images of children following a Metropolitan Police investigation, a Police spokesperson said in conversation with the BBC.

The spokesperson added that this allegedly took place between December 2020 and April 2022, and these images were supposedly shared via WhatsApp chat.

The “Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case. Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.”

The news anchor is accused of possessing six category A images on a phone supposedly belonging to Edwards. This is the most serious class of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), which has been categorized by the Internet Watch Foundation as “Images involving penetrative sexual activity; images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism.”

Edwards also allegedly possessed 12 category B pictures and 19 category C pictures, according to the BBC.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Edwards was arrested on November 8th, 2023, and charged on June 26th as authorized by the Crown Prosecution Service. He has been bailed to attend court on July 31st, 2024.

The UK has strict laws against taking, making, circulating, or possessing a view to distributing any indecent or pseudo-photographs of any child. These offenses could potentially carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.

Alarmingly, grooming and exploitation of children on social media platforms like WhatsApp aren’t uncommon.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), a British children’s charity, reported an 82% increase in online grooming from 2018 to 2023.

Meta-owned platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram were responsible for 42% of online grooming cases. Online predators seem to favor platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, perhaps due to their use of end-to-end encryption.