CPS ‘breached open justice rules’ in Huw Edwards indecent child images case
Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards is set to appear in court this morning after facing three counts of making indecent images of children.
Huw Edwards charged with making indecent images of children
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has handled the case against BBC's Huw Edwards in a "puzzling" way, according to a lawyer. The former BBC newsreader, 62, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today after being charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.
It was revealed earlier in the week that Edwards was charged in June, but the details only emerged on Monday - after the date of his first court appearance was announced.
A former attorney general, who remained anonymous, told The Telegraph: "It is very puzzling that the CPS did not release the charge details to the media.
“Normally, with high-profile cases, an announcement is made that charges have been brought. This notifies members of the media that a first court appearance is imminent to allow them to report on it, in accordance with the principles of open justice.
“I’m therefore puzzled that the CPS did not announce charges when they were brought in June, as at that point it became a public matter.”
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A CPS spokesperson said: “Decisions on charging announcements are based on operational factors and no defendant receives preferential treatment.
“Our handling of this case followed our normal procedures working in partnership with police colleagues.”
Scotland Yard denied it had taken a different approach in informing the media in the case of Edwards.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “The approach taken in this case isn’t unusual.
"Quite often when there is a lengthy gap between the date someone is charged and their first appearance we will publish the details immediately before the first appearance.”
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According to sources, even those who were close to him were unaware of the charges. MailOnline reported that one source said: "Huw kept his arrest completely secret".
The only information that Huw's acquaintances had was the same as everyone else - the statement from the Met Police in July 2023 that said detectives had not found any evidence of criminal activity when the scandal initially broke and he was suspended from his job.
The friend from the BBC added: "It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged." Another former colleague of the star said: "It’s a mess - and tragic for all concerned".