BBC Suspends Male Staffer Over Paying Teenager for Explicit Photos

UPDATE: The BBC has suspended a male member of staff accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photographs.

The BBC said in a statement on Sunday: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.

“This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.

“We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.

“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.

“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.

“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date.”

PREVIOUSLY: The U.K. government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has described allegations that a star BBC presenter paid for sexually explicit photographs of a teenager as “deeply concerning.” U.K. culture secretary Lucy Frazer said that BBC director general Tim Davie had assured her that the corporation is investigating the allegations “swiftly and sensitively.”

“As a public service broadcaster in receipt of public funding, senior officials have stressed to the BBC that the allegations must be investigated urgently and sensitively,” the DCMS said in a statement.

EARLIER: U.K. broadcaster BBC is amidst a gathering storm over allegations that a star presenter paid for sexually explicit photographs of a teenager.

The scandal emerged on Friday when U.K. tabloid The Sun published a story alleging that a top BBC presenter paid a teenager more than £35,000 ($44,500) since they were 17 in exchange for explicit photographs.

While 17 is over the age of sexual content, under the U.K.’s Protection of Children Act 1978 it is a crime to take, make, share and possess indecent images of people under 18 and the the maximum sentence for the offence is 10 years.

“The alleged recipient’s mother said they had used the cash to fund a crack habit,” The Sun wrote.

It is believed that the presenter – “a familiar face who is known to millions,” according to The Sun – was taken off air after the story broke.

On Saturday, fresh allegations emerged in the tabloid that the presenter stripped to their underwear for a video call. The Sun wrote, quoting the alleged victim’s mother who claimed to have seen the presenter on her child’s phone: “leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him.”

The mother’s claims are in a sworn affidavit provided to The Sun, the tabloid said, adding that the young person’s family complained to the BBC on May 19.

A BBC spokesperson told Variety: “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.”

Meanwhile, several BBC presenters have taken to social media to deny that they are the star presenter, including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker.

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