A BBC public corporation presenter whose identity has not been released has been accused of paying an underage teenager to send him sexually explicit photos.
The tabloid newspaper The Sun, which revealed the scandal, points out today that the child’s mother was able to see the BBC star, of whom she herself was an admirer, in underwear “ready for my son to perform for him” in a video .
It is believed that the presenter paid more than 35,000 pounds (40,000 euros) to the minor from when he was 17 to 20 -his age now- in exchange for these sexual images, money with which the victim allegedly paid for his addiction to “crack “.
On Saturday night, the BBC removed the presenter from the screen, whose identity is unknown, although it is known that he is a “familiar face” of the public channel and that he has a six-figure salary.
Despite the fact that the BBC has said that it takes these accusations “very seriously”, the corporation is receiving multiple criticisms when it was learned, according to The Sun, that the family filed a complaint in May, but the presenter has continued to appear on screen.
“What is worrying is that someone makes a complaint, a very serious complaint, and then they turn on the television the next day and (the presenter) is still there,” Labor spokeswoman for the Economy Rachel Reeves told Sky News today.
For Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the parliamentary committee that oversees the BBC, “it is vital that broadcasters have the right systems and processes in place to ensure that their stars, who have disproportionate power and influence over the lives of others, do not abuse him.”
A BBC spokesman said the corporation “has processes to proactively deal” with such allegations, including “trying to talk to those who have contacted us.”
“If we don’t get a response to our attempts and no further contact, that may limit our ability to move things forward, but it doesn’t mean our investigations stop,” he added.
Several of the BBC stars, such as former soccer player Gary Lineker, have been quick to deny on their social networks that they were the person being investigated.
