Huw Edwards career

[integrale_evo]

I don’t want to defend him or comment on what he may or may not have done, but the law seems a little unfair



“Making" indecent images can have a wide legal definition, and covers more than simply taking or filming the original picture or clip.
The Crown Prosecution Service says, external it can include opening an email attachment containing an image; downloading an image from a website to a screen; storing an image on a computer; accessing a pornographic website in which an images appears in an automatic "pop-up" window; receiving an image via social media, even if unsolicited and even if part of a group; or live-streaming images of children.
A court must also decide whether an offence falls into the category of possession, distribution or production.
According to the Sentencing Council, external, creating the original image counts as production - the more serious of the three categories. It adds that "making an image by simple downloading should be treated as possession for the purposes of sentencing".


Open an innocent sounding email or open a WhatsApp message where someone has unknowingly sent you a sick photo could get you a criminal on the sex offenders register.

[Jobbo]

I find it most unlikely that anyone would receive category A
material unwittingly. And if you did, surely you’d go to the police rather than leave it on your phone. I’m not sure if deleting a WhatsApp attachment renders it irretrievable but it must be possible to ascertain what the recipient did with it if not.

[Matty]

It's an interesting one for sure.

BBC article states he twice recieved underage pics, and twice said "don't sent me those". The accusations and charges make it sound far worse than the actual events that (apparently) occurred. Like Si says, he was clearly communicating with someone who's MO was of that leaning, so any normal person would have blocked/deleted/reported.

I wouldn't be suprised if he ends up on suicide watch, given his previous reports of mental health. His poor kids too...they'll be dragged through the media frenzy, and it must be hard to rationalise your dad having those kind of charges against him.

[Jobbo]

It feels like the ‘mental health’ excuse was convenient and avoided the main issue: that he’d been rather naughtier than just having an affair with a much younger lover, but was actively conversing with and obtaining from a distributor of highly illegal material. Yes, I’m sure it is hard to cope when you’re caught. But it’s your own fucking grave and you dug it - any other person investigated over the same thing wouldn’t be given free rein to stay in the Priory for a few months.

[V8Granite]

Any mental health excuse doesn’t change what you did so any charges should be given in the same way as anyone would get them.

Dave!

[GG.]

It feels like the ‘mental health’ excuse was convenient and avoided the main issue: that he’d been rather naughtier than just having an affair with a much younger lover, but was actively conversing with and obtaining from a distributor of highly illegal material. Yes, I’m sure it is hard to cope when you’re caught. But it’s your own fucking grave and you dug it - any other person investigated over the same thing wouldn’t be given free rein to stay in the Priory for a few months.

Agreed.

Legal pornography is so widely available that it readily leads to the question as to why you would converse with someone like that - i.e. someone that possessed that kind of material and other material that potentially even where not underage, presents a significant risk of photos / videos that have been taken illicitly or without consent.

It is also obvious that the law treads a difficult path in these cases, as shown by a police superintendent that was charged because her sister sent her an illegal video with the rationale that she wanted the person caught and charged. Clearly that is an irrational position to take and something equivalent to arresting a PC for possession of class A drugs that they have confiscated. With the celebrity in question however, clearly the course of dealing with the individual concerned was not in that vein and the fact that he knew said individual possessed illegal images and carried on dealing with them should mean no sympathy is extended whatsoever.

Not exactly comforting that he lived 0.4 miles from my son's school until recently. The number of people online being apologists for him (not on nuanced legal grounds but more because they think its all 'a bit mean' on him) also truly shows how deranged and brainwashed a significant portion of society has become.

[Gavster]

I noted that the BBC reporting said "Edwards told him not to send any illegal images.", which sounds a slightly weasley attempt at a get-out clause, as if he thought that would prevent him from being prosecuted. A bit like the urban myth about undercover cops "if I ask you if you're a cop you have to tell the truth, otherwise it's entrapment".

[duncs500]

With the celebrity in question however, clearly the course of dealing with the individual concerned was not in that vein and the fact that he knew said individual possessed illegal images and carried on dealing with them should mean no sympathy is extended whatsoever.

This.

No sympathy at all. Best case is he knew someone was peddling and potentially complicit in child abuse, and not only didn't report it, but carried on talking to them. That's the best case. Repugnant.

[240PP]

A bit like the urban myth about undercover cops "if I ask you if you're a cop you have to tell the truth, otherwise it's entrapment".

That’s a myth?

[V8Granite]

Hopefully prison is like absolute torture for him.

Dave!

[Ascender]

I noted that the BBC reporting said "Edwards told him not to send any illegal images.", which sounds a slightly weasley attempt at a get-out clause, as if he thought that would prevent him from being prosecuted. A bit like the urban myth about undercover cops "if I ask you if you're a cop you have to tell the truth, otherwise it's entrapment".

I saw that last night. Surely to god, if you're chatting to someone and they send you something like that, you go straight to the police who will not care what other "normal"/legal images you were getting sent. He would know to do that better than most.

He deserves all he gets. Turns the pit of my stomach.