Met Police say further inquiries are needed into BBC star allegations

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The Metropolitan Police said further inquiries were needed before they could decide whether to launch a criminal investigation into allegations that a top BBC presenter paid a teenager for sexually explicit images.

Detectives from the Mets Crime Command met with BBC bosses on Monday morning but later said there was no investigation at the moment.

In a statement, the Met said detectives were evaluating information discussed at the meeting and further investigations were underway to establish if there is evidence of an ongoing criminal offence.

The BBC only informed police on Friday, the day after it was approached by The Sun newspaper ahead of a series of stories alleging the presenter paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager, who was 17 at the time. time of first payment, for sexual images.

The newspaper said the family complained to the BBC about the presenter’s behavior in May, but he remained on the air until the mother provided details to The Sun last week. The presenter was only suspended on Sunday, leading MPs to question why it took so long for the BBC to act.

Downing Street said on Monday the allegations were worrying, but the Prime Minister had full confidence in the broadcasters’ chief executive.

BBC boss Tim Davie will face scrutiny over his handling of the latest scandal to hit the broadcaster when it released its annual report on Tuesday.

The broadcaster came under attack for what it knew about the allegations after the complaint in May, with MPs demanding an inquiry into the BBC’s handling of one of its most serious scandals of the past decade.

Downing Street said: Clearly these allegations are concerning. The Secretary of State [Lucy Frazer] spoke to the chief executive yesterday and was assured that the BBC is investigating the matter quickly.

The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is also holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday as MPs debate whether to summon Davie to explain his handling of the crisis.

The cross-party committee should hold a single session before the parliamentary recess for the summer break in less than a fortnight.

A person familiar with the situation said the BBC was made aware of a complaint in May, but what happened last week was different. They added that the initial investigation had failed to obtain more detailed information.

The Sun published a series of articles alleging the presenter paid the teenager tens of thousands of pounds for sexual images, from when the person was 17, which could breach the 1978 the protection of children.

The presenter was not named to the media for privacy reasons despite widespread speculation which has forced some BBC stars to deny their involvement.

The number of BBC staff involved in the process was tiny: over the weekend, even senior staff working with the presenter were still debating evidence of the identity of the person at the center of the scandal.

In a note to staff published by the Financial Times on Sunday, Davie said the BBC investigation team had looked into the allegation since it was raised in May and had actively followed up. But he added that new allegations, of a different nature, were submitted to us on Thursday.

He said that under the law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which makes the situation more complex. The BBC investigative team is led by former detective Jeff Brown.

Senior BBC executives have warned that these types of allegations are particularly damaging to the broadcaster. In 2012 it emerged that the late Jimmy Savile, who had been a BBC star for decades, was a sexual abuser and serial rapist. Not only did the BBC allow the behavior of deceased presenters, it canceled a posthumous exhibition of him in 2011.

The scandal was a major factor in the downfall of then-chief executive George Entwistle.

A serving senior manager said that if the nature of the current allegations was known, not suspending the presenter was potentially totally explosive… A total failure to tackle it. Classic BBC.

A senior BBC official said: The question is who knew what, when and what did they do about it? And if it looks bad, it could have implications [for the director-general].

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