he BBC has introduced the Metropolitan Police has requested it to “pause its investigations” whereas it seems into allegations an unnamed presenter paid a troubled younger individual tens of 1000’s of kilos for sexual photos.
It comes after the BBC’s company investigations group spoke to detectives on Monday.
A BBC spokesperson stated: “Because of this assembly, the BBC has been requested to pause its investigations into the allegations whereas the police scope future work.”
In addition they printed a timetable exhibiting a member of the family of the younger individual made the primary criticism in individual at a “BBC constructing” on Could 18 and a day later the investigations group dominated “it didn’t embody an allegation of criminality, however nonetheless merited additional investigation”.
BBC chief Tim Davie informed reporters the BBC had “not been given a time scale” by officers into how lengthy the police investigation would take.
He stated: “Clearly any affair of this nature is critical when it comes to the BBC’s popularity and belief is completely basic to the BBC”, including: “I believe it’s too early to say how this impacts the BBC’s popularity when it comes to belief”.
He refused to say if the presenter concerned had supplied his resignation, saying he “wouldn’t touch upon a personal dialog” and stated problems with privateness and public curiosity needed to be balanced all through the method.
Mr Davie stated the BBC will “cross any materials now we have” to investigating officers and admitted “questions have been requested about how this case was initially managed” and that “classes will probably be realized” about how complaints are handled.
It was solely on July 6, when The Solar contacted the BBC press workplace, that “the director-general or any government administrators on the BBC have been conscious of the case.”
The spokesperson stated: “The BBC has processes and protocols for receiving data and managing complaints when they’re first made. We at all times take these issues extraordinarily severely and search to handle them with the suitable responsibility of care. The occasions of current days have proven how complicated and difficult these sorts of instances may be and the way important it’s that they’re dealt with with the utmost diligence and care.”
Mr Davie insisted on Tuesday that belief was the company’s “high precedence” as he confronted questions over the allegations.
Mr Davie stated the preliminary criticism was “critical” however “didn’t embody an allegation of criminality”.
He added: “When The Solar made new allegations on July 6 they have been completely different to the issues thought-about by BBC Company Investigations and people new allegations clearly associated to potential prison exercise, criminality, that in a nutshell is the distinction.”
The director-general was grilled by reporters at a briefing known as to debate the BBC’s annual report and organized earlier than the scandal erupted.The Met are conducting additional inquiries to ascertain if any crime has been dedicated. It has been reported the connection started when the individual was 17. Though the age of consent is 16, it’s unlawful to make or possess indecent photos of anybody underneath 18.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated later: “We’ve got requested the BBC to pause its personal investigation whereas we proceed our evaluation to ascertain whether or not there may be proof of a prison offence being dedicated.
“The evaluation is being led by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command and follows a digital assembly with representatives from the BBC on the morning of Monday, 10 July.
“There stays no police investigation right now.”
The scandal overshadowed the publication of the BBC’s annual report which boasted that the organisation was the “No 1 most trusted information model within the UK”.
Writing within the report, which was put collectively earlier than the most recent scandal broke, Mr Davie stated “belief” was the BBC’s “first precedence”. He stated: “We all know that belief within the BBC have to be earned every single day. That’s why now we have labored more durable than ever to open up our processes and present audiences extra of the work that goes on behind the scenes of our journalism.”
The report reveals the BBC investigated 34 “formal instances of bullying and harassment” in 2022/23 and 37 whistleblowing instances which cowl “safeguarding issues a couple of youngster or younger individual or a susceptible grownup” in addition to “precise or potential prison offences” and “something which can convey the company into critical disrepute”.
Mr Davie’s private place has been bolstered by the help of the Prime Minister, however Rishi Sunak admitted he was “shocked” by the allegations.
En path to the Nato summit in Lithuania, he informed reporters: “They have been stunning, regarding allegations, in fact they have been. The Tradition Secretary spoke to the director-general on Sunday and is reassured the method they’re endeavor is rigorous and will probably be swift and so now we have these reassurances.”
The story took one other twist on Monday night time when the younger individual on the centre of the controversy stated “nothing inappropriate or illegal” occurred with the presenter, who is alleged to have given them £35,000 over three years.
Their model of occasions, in a letter from their lawyer, known as the unique story “garbage”. They stated they informed The Solar on Friday that there was “no reality to it”.
However The Solar has stood by its reporting.
