The BBC is taking “very seriously” allegations that one of its presenters has been taken off air over paying a teenager for sexual photographs.
A “well known” presenter has been accused of paying more than £35,000 in exchange for explicit images, The Sun reported.
Neither the accused nor the teenager, who was reported to be 17 when the payments began, was identified in the newspaper’s report.
In response, 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.
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“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.
“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.”
The Sun reported that the teenager’s family complained to the BBC on May 19th and that the payments were used to fund a drugs habit.
“When I see him on telly, I feel sick,” the alleged recipient’s mother said. “I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.
“Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”
The recipient was now 20, she said, adding that the family had “begged” the BBC presenter to “stop sending the cash”.
The mother, who reportedly approached The Sun and made it clear they wanted no payment, said her child had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in three years.
Her child showed her an online bank statement that had numerous deposits from the presenter, she said.
She added: “There were huge sums, hundreds or thousands of pounds at a time.
“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”
The allegations come weeks after the chief executive of rival broadcaster ITV denied that management might have been motivated to cover up Phillip Schofield’s affair with a younger member of staff to avoid potential commercial harm to the This Morning programme. – Guardian