Scotland Yard said it would carry out fresh inquiries into claims a prominent
BBC presenter paid £35,000 for explicit images from a teenager as officers consider whether a full criminal investigation should be launched.
Detectives from the Metropolitan police’s specialist crime command had a virtual meeting with BBC representatives on Monday morning to discuss
the allegations, Scotland Yard said.
BBC officials are understood to have passed information to the police, with corporation bosses having suspended the presenter from appearing on screen after claims he spent £35,000 over three years buying explicit images from a young person.
The Met does not consider the threshold for a criminal investigation has yet been reached, but in a statement made it clear the force would carry out further work, but falling short of a formal criminal investigation that would give officers powers of arrest and search.
A police spokesperson said: “They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed. There is no investigation at this time.”
The statement suggests the police are still at the “scoping” stage of the inquiry, where they do not commit to a particular course of action, but it leaves open the option of launching a full investigation.
Detectives are trying to work out what, if any, criminal offence may have been committed by the suspended presenter. The young person was allegedly 17 years old when they began talking to the BBC employee, later exchanging explicit pictures and video calls.
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