Is this 1st casualty of BBC’s Huw Edwards child sex images scandal? Senior exec who oversaw probe into paedo star QUITS
ONE of the BBC’s most senior execs – the man overseeing the Huw Edwards and Strictly Come Dancing scandals – has quit.
Within hours of the disgraced newsreader pleading guilty, Gautam Rangarajan’s resignation was announced.
The BBC’s Director of Strategy’s departure will be seen as the first casualty of the under-fire corporation’s recent crises.
In a press release, Director General Tim Davie – who also now faces calls to quit – announced his resignation, stating: “After 11 years as the BBC’s Group Director of Strategy & Performance, and over three decades with the BBC, Gautam has decided to hand on the leadership of BBC strategy to someone new, and to take on a fresh challenge outside the organisation.
“Gautam has contributed so much to the BBC.
“With Gautam’s departure, I have taken this opportunity to think about how we drive the implementation and delivery of our Value for All strategy across the BBC Group.”
Gautam’s departure follows months of criticism over the BBC.
In the wake of the Edwards scandal, public confidence in the broadcaster is arguably at an all-time low.
A source told The Sun said: “Many within the BBC see Gautam’s departure as the first head to roll off the back of Strictly and Huw.
“He was involved in a lot of the corporate handling of it and whilst he could have survived Strictly, just about, there’s no way his position was tenable after Huw.
“The BBC needs to get its house in order and be seen to be taking action to clean things up. Guatam appears to be the first casualty of this.”
This morning the paedophile who shared vile child sex images with Edwards was unmasked for the first time.
Alex Williams, 25, sent the veteran newsreader 41 images – including two videos of a boy as young as seven – in a sick WhatsApp chat.
He previously pleaded guilty to a string of child sex offences and was handed a suspended sentence.
When police launched a probe into the convicted paedo, they seized a phone that exposed Edwards’ crimes.
The former BBC presenter yesterday admitted three counts of making indecent images of children.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court was told seven of the 41 images fall under Category A – the most serious classification.
This included two moving images of a young boy, possibly aged between seven and nine years old.
He also had photos of other children aged between 13 and 15 stored on his phone that were classed as Category A.
After 11 years as the BBC’s Group Director of Strategy & Performance, and over three decades with the BBC, Gautam has decided to hand on the leadership of BBC strategy to someone new
Tim Davie
A further 12 images were grouped as Category B and 19 as Category C.
Edwards had engaged in an online chat with Williams on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021.
During this time, the paedo sent Edwards 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
No more of these pictures or video were sent and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.
The veteran broadcaster was arrested in November and charged on June 26 – although the information was only released on Monday.
The BBC yesterday confirmed it knew in November their star newsreader had been arrested but kept paying him for another five months.
FALL FROM GRACE
By Ed Southgate
Pervert presenter Huw Edwards had a glittering BBC career and was even tipped for a knighthood before his rapid fall from grace.
He was News at Ten anchor when he bowed and shook hands with Queen Elizabeth II as she opened the Beeb’s new Broadcasting House in London in June 2013.
Edwards held the nation’s hand through monumental events including the Queen’s death and funeral in 2022, the coronation last year of King Charles and numerous general election night specials.
The veteran broadcaster, 62, was widely rumoured to be in line for a knighthood for “holding it together” when announcing the Queen’s death.
But after The Sun exposed his sick behaviour, he quit the BBC aft
Corporation chiefs, who revealed they found out that one of their highest-profile newsreaders had been questioned over child sex images in November, condemned his “abhorrent behaviour”.
The BBC continued to pay Edwards, who had been suspended in relation to different allegations but remained employed on a full salary of nearly £480,000, until he quit the broadcaster on “medical advice” in April.
It was revealed in the BBC’s annual report, presented last week by Director-General Tim Davie, that Edwards was the third highest-paid star from April 2023 to March this year.
He earned between £475,000 and £479,999 — up from £435,000 to £439,999 the previous year.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is now hauling in Mr Davie to explain why the BBC carried on paying Edwards after his arrest.
And Tory shadow culture minister Julia Lopez said: “Licence fee-payers have a right to know why Mr Edwards was awarded such a high salary given the timing and nature of the allegations.”
Staff have described Edwards still being paid as a “disgrace”.
BBC's statement in full
“The BBC is shocked to hear the details which have emerged in court today.
“There can be no place for such abhorrent behaviour and our thoughts are with all those affected. The police have confirmed that the charges are not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC in the summer of 2023.
“Nevertheless in the interests of transparency we think it important to set out some points about events of the last year.
“In November 2023, whilst Mr Edwards was suspended, the BBC as his employer was made aware in confidence that he had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences and released on bail whilst the police continued their investigation.
“At the time, no charges had been brought and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health.
“Today we have learnt of the conclusion of the police process in the details as presented to the court.
“If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him. In the end, at the point of charge he was no longer an employee of the BBC.
“During this period, in the usual way, the BBC has kept its corporate management of these issues separate from its independent editorial functions. We want to reiterate our shock at Mr Edwards’ actions and our thoughts remain with all those affected.”