The lawyer for the young man who was allegedly paid by a BBC presenter in exchange for explicit photos says the allegations are “garbage”

2023-07-10 21:28:53

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BBC headquarters in London.

Article informationAuthor, RedacciónRole, BBC News Mundo

39 minutes

The lawyer of a young man (whose gender has not been revealed) who, according to the British newspaper The Sun, received money from a BBC presenter in exchange for explicit photographs, assured this Monday that the statements that the minor’s mother offered to the newspaper they are trash”.

In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer assured that “nothing inappropriate” occurred between his client and the BBC presenter, whose name has not been released and who is suspended from his duties while the allegations against him are investigated.

The Sun reported on Friday that a BBC presenter had paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.

The newspaper said it saw evidence to support the claims of the young man’s mother.

But in his letter to the BBC on Monday, the boy’s lawyer said he sent a WhatsApp message to the newspaper on Friday night denying the claims and saying the statements his mother made were “totally wrong and there was nothing really” in them.

However, the lawyer added, The Sun newspaper proceeded to publish “your inappropriate article”.

“For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or illegal has occurred between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish,” the lawyer wrote.

In response, The Sun said: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behavior of a presenter and the well-being of their son.”

“Her complaint was not addressed by the BBC.”

“We have seen evidence to support their concerns. Now it is up to the BBC to investigate properly.”

names are not known

BBC News does not know the identity of the young man and has not spoken directly to him.

Nor has he seen any of the evidence from the Sun, or the file that, according to the newspaper, the family handed over to the corporation over the weekend.

In an email sent to BBC staff on Sunday, BBC director-general Tim Davie said the corporation is working “as quickly as possible to establish the facts.”

The presenter’s identity cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.

In the accusations published by The Sun it is assured that in a period of three years the presenter paid 35,000 pounds sterling (US $ 45,000) to the young man for the photos.

The payments would have started when the teenager was 17 years old.

As the teenager’s mother told The Sun, on one occasion the star of the British channel was in his underwear and preparing for the minor to “give him a performance.”

The BBC director general explained on Sunday afternoon that the situation is “complex” and that the corporation has been in contact with “external authorities”.

Shortly after, The Sun newspaper published new revelations stating that the presenter made “panic calls” to the young man and that the family is upset with the BBC’s initial response to the allegations.

London’s Metropolitan Police said Monday it is “assessing the information” discussed in a meeting with the BBC.

“Further inquiries are underway to establish whether there is evidence that a criminal offense was committed,” police said.

“At this time there is no official investigation,” they added.

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