The story first broke on Friday when The Sun tabloid reported that a prominent BBC presenter had paid a young man £35,000 (US$825,330) for explicit images over three years, starting at the age of 17.
The BBC suspended the broadcaster, but did not name him. Subsequently, several BBC stars took to social media to say they were not involved after speculation spread online.
The BBC has been heavily criticized for struggling to investigate the lawsuit against the broadcaster, protecting a person’s privacy, responding publicly to allegations, and not outraging other broadcasters who have fallen under suspicion.
The age of consent for sex in England is 16, but images of someone under the age of 18 can be considered child pornography.
London’s Metropolitan Police said earlier on Wednesday it had completed its assessment of the allegations and found there was no indication that a criminal offence had been committed.
“There is no further police action,” she said.
The BBC said it would continue its internal investigation into the allegations.
In an email to staff, the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, said it was still an “extremely complex set of circumstances”.
“This will no doubt be a difficult time for many after a challenging few days. I want to assure you that our immediate concern is our duty to look after everyone involved.”
A spokesperson for The Sun said the newspaper had no plans to publish further allegations and would co-operate with the BBC’s investigation.
The spokesperson said: “We will provide the BBC team with a confidential and specific dossier containing serious and wide-ranging allegations we have received, including from some of the BBC’s staff.”
Edwards, who has five children, has worked for the BBC since 1984 and anchored its flagship publication, BBC News at Ten, for more than two decades. He is the broadcaster’s highest paid news presenter, earning between £435,000 to £439,999.
Flend said she hoped the statement would end the media speculation that had affected Edwards’ colleagues at the BBC.
“Once he is well enough to do that, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published,” she said.
– Reuters