BBC Presenter Under Investigation for Allegedly Paying a 17-Year-Old Over $44k for 'Sexually Explicit Photos': Report
July 8 2023, Published 11:46 a.m. ET
The BBC has launched an investigation into one of its male "household name" presenters following allegations that he paid a teenager more than $44,000 for sexually explicit photos, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to the Sun, the presenter, who has not been named, allegedly requested these images from the youth when they were 17 years old in 2020. The payments were allegedly made over the past few years.
After the teenager's family made a complaint on May 19th, the BBC took the star off-air and initiated an investigation. The broadcaster has stated that it takes "any allegations very seriously" and has processes in place to deal with such claims.
The mother of the now 20-year-old provided bank account statements as evidence, which reportedly show payments totaling more than $44,900. These statements included one lump sum payment of $6,418.
According to the mother, the presenter requested "performances" from her child. She also claimed that her child's life was "destroyed" by their addiction to crack cocaine, which was funded by these payments.
"All I want is for this man to stop paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child's drug habit," she told The Sun.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: "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," they continued. "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 inquiries stop."
The British news outlet claimed that if new information comes to light at any point, it will be "acted upon appropriately."
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The details of the investigation and the identities of the individuals involved have not been disclosed at this time.
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