Hugh Edwards has pleaded guilty at his first appearance in a UK criminal court to three charges of making indecent images of children.
On Wednesday morning, Edwards appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London to plead guilty before Judge Paul Goldspring and a large group of journalists.
The former BBC broadcaster, once one of the corporation’s highest-paid figures, showed no emotion as he was led through the first courtroom to the glass platform, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie. Although he entered the courtroom wearing dark sunglasses, he removed them before entering the courtroom.
Edwards spoke only to give his name, date of birth and partial UK address, to plead to each charge and to say he understood the bail conditions. His lawyer, in a break with British court tradition, asked that Edwards not read his full address because of the “volatile” situation outside the court, which included protests.
He nodded as he read the charges.
His lawyer explained how the photos were sent to him via WhatsApp and automatically saved to his phone, despite his request that the WhatsApp sender – an adult male – stop sending the photos.
The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison.
Sentencing was adjourned until September for a pre-sentence report. In the meantime, Edwards was released on conditional bail.
The newsreader, who spent 40 years at the BBC, resigned in April citing medical advice. He had been on leave for 10 months at the time.
