The BBC said on Tuesday that the investigation into one of its own presenters who had allegedly paid a young person for explicit photos was on hold as police assessed the situation.
The BBC is Britain’s leading broadcaster, and it has recently been thrown into the spotlight after The Sun reported that one of its leading presenters allegedly paid someone 35,000 pounds ($44, 828) for explicit photos, beginning when the person was just 17 years old, per Reuters.
Consequently, the broadcaster in question was suspended from the network. The name of the broadcaster has not been released.
A number of prominent BBC personalities took to social media to note that they were not involved, as speculations began online.
“The BBC has been asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the police scope future work,” according to a Tuesday statement.
The report noted that police said detectives from its special crime command had met with representatives of the media organization.
The organization said that it had received information on the complaint in May, but its investigative team had issues getting in touch with the potential victim. The complaint reportedly came from the young person’s family.
The BBC reported on Monday that it had received a letter from a lawyer of the young person in the case, claiming that the allegations were “rubbish.”
A spokesperson for the Sun said in response to the BBC’s report: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.”
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns.”
“It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
The BBC has claimed that it doesn’t know the identity of the young person, nor has it seen the evidence.
