BBC suspends presenter accused of paying teenager for sexually explicit photos

Britain's BBC said it suspended a male member of staff on Sunday following an allegation that one of its star presenters paid a teenager thousands of pounds to pose for sexually explicit photos, beginning when they were 17 years old.

The broadcaster said it first became aware of a complaint in May, but new allegations of a different nature were made to it on Thursday, and it had informed "external authorities."

London's Metropolitan Police said it had received initial contact from the BBC, but no formal referral or allegation had been made.

"We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow," the police said in a statement.

The age of consent for sex in England is 16, but images of someone under 18 can be considered child pornography.

The BBC said it was a "complex and fast-moving set of circumstances" and that it was "working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.

"We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended," it said in a statement.

The statement said that "it is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care," without giving details on the claims.

Complaint made to BBC on May 19

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the allegations, cited the young person's mother as saying the unnamed male presenter had paid the teenager, now 20 years old, more than 35,000 pounds over three years for the images.

The mother told the newspaper that the teenager had used the cash to fund a crack cocaine habit.

The family complained to the broadcaster on May 19, but the presenter was not immediately taken off air, according to the Sun, which said the family had not requested payment for their story.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer held urgent talks with the broadcaster's director general, Tim Davie, earlier on Sunday about the allegations, which she described as "deeply concerning."

"[Davie] has assured me the BBC are investigating swiftly and sensitively," Frazer said on Twitter.

"Given the nature of the allegations, it is important that the BBC is now given the space to conduct its investigation, establish the facts and take appropriate action."

The BBC, which is funded by a licence fee paid by every TV-watching household, said it "takes any allegations seriously" and had "robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations."

"We have been clear that if — at any point — new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up," it said.

Lawyer calls claims 'rubbish'

The BBC reported on Monday that a lawyer for the young person had written to the broadcaster stating that the allegation was "rubbish."

The lawyer said the young person sent a denial to the Sun newspaper on Friday evening, when it first published the allegation, saying there was "no truth" to it, the BBC said.

A spokesperson for Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid defended its reporting in response to the BBC story on the lawyer's claim.

"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," the spokesperson said. "It's now for the BBC to properly investigate."

BBC News said it did not know the identity of the young person and had not spoken directly to them, nor had it seen the Sun's evidence.

Presenter not named, fuelling speculation 

Neither the BBC nor other media outlets have released the identity of the man who allegedly paid the teen for photos.

Britain's Supreme Court ruled last year that a person has "a reasonable expectation of privacy" until they have been charged with a crime.

Rumours have swirled online about the identity of the suspended presenter. According to the Guardian, one BBC presenter contacted police after being falsely accused in social media posts.

On Monday, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said social media companies and their users have a responsibility not to spread "baseless accusations."

"We have been very clear with the sites themselves about their responsibilities on making sure these things are properly policed," BBC News reported the spokesperson as saying.