"What have you done?" : Alleged question from BBC presenter to teenager after Sex Pics probe launched

July 10, 2023 12:29 a.m.

BBC presenter suspended for allegedly paying teenager for explicit images allegedly made phone calls panicked at the youngster last week as The Sun reported the claims.

The British tabloid reported on Monday that the star, who is not named by British media for legal reasons, phoned the teenager to ask, "What did you do?"

The presenter also tried to arrest the teenager's mother, who appears to be the source of The Sun report, to stop the BBC investigation.

Mother reportedly complained to BBC presenter in May and told her child's story to The Sun in a series of articles this weekend.

The presenter was suspended on Sunday and the BBC contacted the Metropolitan Police. The teenager is believed to have been 17 when he first came into contact with the presenter in 2020. It is illegal in the UK to possess or commission footage of anyone under the age of 18.

The BBC said on Sunday it had taken action after "new allegations" were revealed last week that were "different in nature" from those contained in the May complaint.

The teenager's family told The Sun that they was unhappy with the BBC's response to the complaint, arguing that no one from the company phoned to question them. BBC sources suggested the complainant was reluctant to commit.

The company's investigation is led by former police detective Jeff Brown. The Sun reported that the family has now sent an evidence package to Brown.

The BBC said: "The BBC takes any allegation seriously and we have robust internal processes to deal with such allegations.

"This is a complex and rapidly changing set of circumstances and the BBC is also working quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

“It is important that these matters be handled fairly and carefully. We have made it clear that if - at any time - new information is revealed or provided to us, it will be treated appropriately and actively followed up.

"The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations we were submitted on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own investigations, we have also been in contact with external authorities, in accordance with our protocols.

"We can also confirm that a male member of staff has been suspended. We hope to be able to to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept informed.

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