LONDON — Britain’s BBC suspended a male member of workers on Sunday following an allegation that one in all its star presenters paid a young person 1000’s of kilos to pose for sexually express pictures, starting once they had been 17 years previous.
The broadcaster mentioned it first grew to become conscious of a criticism in May, however new allegations of a special nature had been made to it on Thursday, and it had knowledgeable “external authorities.”
London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned it had obtained preliminary contact from the BBC however no formal referral or allegation had been made.
“We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow,” it mentioned in a press release.
The BBC mentioned it was a “complex and fast-moving set of circumstances” and it was “working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.”
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended,” it mentioned in a press release.
The assertion additionally mentioned “it is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care,” with out giving particulars on the claims.
The Sun newspaper, which first reported the allegations, cited the younger individual’s mom as saying the unnamed male presenter had paid {the teenager} greater than £35,000 ($45,000) over three years for the photographs.
The mom advised the newspaper that {the teenager} had used the money to fund a crack cocaine behavior.
The household complained to the broadcaster on May 19, however the presenter was not instantly taken off air, in accordance with the Sun, which mentioned the household had not requested fee for his or her story.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held pressing talks with the broadcaster’s director normal, Tim Davie, earlier on Sunday in regards to the allegations, which she described as “deeply concerning.”
“[Davie] has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively,” she mentioned on Twitter.
“Given the nature of the allegations it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action.”
The BBC, which is funded by a license charge paid by each TV watching family, mentioned it “takes any allegations seriously” and had “robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.”
“We have been clear that if—at any point—new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up,” it mentioned. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
