Teen allegedly paid by Huw Edwards ‘felt groomed’

The Sun newspaper first broke the story about an unnamed young person’s alleged contact with Edwards in July last year.

It published his mother’s claim that Edwards – who at that point had not been named publicly – had paid her child tens of thousands of pounds for explicit photos over three years, beginning when they were 17.

A few days later, the lawyer representing the young person disputed their mother’s account of events, saying “the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish”.

In a letter to the BBC, the lawyer added “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” had taken place.

But in his new interview on Saturday, the young man now describes Edwards as “an A-class manipulator”.

He said he had first contacted Edwards, as well as other celebrities, on social media to ask for help when he became homeless.

He said the 62-year-old sent him money, before beginning to ask if there was anything he would do for him in return.

“Although it was a friendship at the beginning, it did change. He would say things like, ‘Are you going to do something for me then?’ I needed help, so I did,” he said.

“I feel like he sort of fed on my vulnerability… as he knew I needed the money. I felt like I was being groomed.”

The young man says he sent explicit messages and videos to Edwards, who is said to have sent £35,000 over two years in return.

“Because of who he was as a BBC presenter and because he had such power…I felt like I trusted him and that he cared,” the young man said.

“But that’s how the manipulation started. I looked up to this man but he didn’t really care about me.

“I felt like he was taking advantage of me but I felt I had to listen to him because he was Huw Edwards.”

He said he had “stayed silent” to protect Edwards, but added he felt “sick” when he heard the news this week.

Elsewhere, the Sun published a video, external of Edwards allegedly waiting for the young man at a Welsh train station. The video is said to have been filmed by the young man’s stepfather.

The stepfather told the newspaper: “I was so angry. I just wanted to confront him and tell him to stop doing what he was doing.”