Senior British politicians on Sunday called on the BBC to rapidly investigate claims that a leading presenter paid a teenager for explicit photos.
The publicly funded national broadcaster is under pressure after The Sun newspaper reported allegations that the male presenter gave a youth 35,000 pounds ($45,000) starting in 2020 when the young person was 17.
Neither the star nor the youth was identified. Amid speculation on social media about the identity of the presenter, several of the BBC's best-known stars spoke up to say it wasn't them.
Though the age of sexual consent in Britain is 16, it's a crime to make or possess indecent images of anyone under 18.
The Sun said the young person's mother had complained to the BBC in May. It was unclear what if any action the broadcaster had taken.
In a statement, the BBC said “we treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.” “If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided — including via newspapers — this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes,” the broadcaster said.
UK media reported that the presenter was not due to be on the air in the near future, but it was unclear whether he had been suspended.
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