Huw Edwards sentencing: Former BBC News presenter due in court

Edwards’ barrister Philip Evans KC told the previous hearing that the former broadcaster had not “in the traditional sense of the word created any image of any sort”.

He added that Edwards “did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else”.

Mr Evans also said the former broadcaster had experienced “both mental and physical” health issues.

The barrister told the court his client “was not just of good character, but of exceptional character”.

At that hearing in July, Ian Hope, prosecuting, told the court that a suspended sentence might be considered for Edwards.

Setting out the potential penalties under the law, he said that where there was the prospect of rehabilitation, a community order and sexual offender treatment programme could be considered as alternatives to a jail sentence.

Edwards was the BBC’s highest-paid journalist, receiving between £475,000-£479,999 between April 2023 and April 2024.

The BBC has asked him to return the £200,000 he earned between his arrest last November and his resignation this April.

The BBC’s director general said last week that “discussions are under way” about the possibility of clawing back the money.