Edwards given suspended prison sentence over child abuse images

Edwards, 63, who spent four decades at the BBC, looked pale and tired in the dock at Westminster magistrates court as the chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, handed down the sentence. Edwards, who nodded at various points during the sentencing remarks, was told that he had been "perhaps the most recognised newsreader/journalist in the UK" but that his "long-earned reputation is in tatters".
His six-month prison sentence will be suspended for two years and he will be obliged to attend a 40-day programme designed to stop him offending again. He pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children after he was sent 41 illegal images by Alex Williams, a convicted paedophile.
Edwards' avoidance of jail was criticised by campaigners. Marilyn Hawes, chief executive of Freedom From Abuse, said: "A sentence like this, which isn't a sentence, what message is it giving to others who are out there doing exactly the same and worse?" As he handed down the sentence, the chief magistrate said he accepted evidence that Edwards had no recollection of viewing the indecent images owing to his mental health issues at the time of the offences.
The court heard from a forensic psychosexual therapist that there was a "tangible risk" of suicide as Edwards, who is an inpatient at the private Nightingale mental health hospital in London, "considers that his family situation may be improved if he was not alive".
The report went on to say that social media had allowed Edwards, who had "managed" his sexual attraction to men since 1994, to "re-engage" with those desires and "boost his fragile self-esteem" but that his mental health problems had led to a failure of judgment.
The court also heard from a consultant psychiatrist who said Edwards was a "complex" individual who had a "particularly challenging" relationship with his father.
Esta historia es de la edición September 17, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 17, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar

Mortgages 100% loans are back - will they work for you?
The controversial loan has returned with a crop of deals. Rupert Jones looks at each and explains why it is worth saving for even a 5% deposit
Fallout Farage will find it harder to broaden appeal without Yusuf
At Reform UK's conference last September, Nigel Farage could not have been more clear: his party had to \"model ourselves on the Liberal Democrats\" and painstakingly build an election-winning machine.

McCann mystery
Search revives memories town wants to forget

New Zealanders turn to home churning as butter prices soar
New Zealanders are driving for hours in pursuit of cheap butter, ordering it from Australia or even churning their own because of sky-high prices.

Russia is at war with US, warns defence adviser
Russia is at war with Britain; the US is no longer a completely reliable ally, and the UK must respond by becoming more cohesive and resilient, according to one of the three authors of the strategic defence review.

David Beckham tipped for knighthood in King Charles's birthday honours list
David Beckham will be awarded a knighthood next week as part of King Charles's birthday celebrations, according to reports.
Trump v Musk: End of a marriage made in hell was predictable - the fallout will be less so
Sometimes you see two young children fighting like crazy,\" Donald Trump observed in the Oval Office on Thursday. \"They hate each other, and they're fighting in a park, and you try and pull them apart. They don't want to be pulled. Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart.\"

Mortgage guarantee Scheme to end this month
A government scheme to encourage UK lenders to offer 95% mortgages is due to end this month, with no word yet on when its replacement will be launched.

'Absolute reliability' Why the UK is finally embracing the tram again
In a side street in central Coventry, a possible vehicle of the future has been making its first public foray: a 60-seat, battery-powered miniature tram.

Netanyahu admits arming anti-Hamas gangs in Gaza allegedly linked to jihadists
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has admitted arming gangs in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas, after allegations that members of these criminal groups looted humanitarian aid and have ties to jihadist groups.