BBC tells Edwards to return salary paid since his arrest

Huw Edwards has been asked to hand back the salary he earned from the corporation after being arrested on child abuse image charges.

- EMMA GUINNESS

Formerly the BBC's most high-profile newsreader, Edwards continued to earn his salary for five months after he was arrested on three counts of making indecent images of children, during which time he was paid more than £200,000.

In a letter to staff, the BBC chair Samir Shah wrote that Edwards had “behaved in bad faith”, saying that the corporation believed he had taken his salary despite preparing to plead guilty to the “appalling” offences. “Today, the board has authorised the executive to seek the return of salary paid to Mr Edwards from the time he was arrested in November last year,” the board statement said.

“Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been upfront when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.”