Top lawyer pressured over 'lenient' Edwards sentence
The Independent|September 18, 2024
The attorney general is coming under pressure to ask for a legal review of the suspended sentence handed to former BBC presenter Huw Edwards.
DAVID MADDOX
Top lawyer pressured over 'lenient' Edwards sentence

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has told The Independent that he is writing to Richard Hermer asking him to appeal the six-month suspended sentence for the disgraced BBC personality who previously admitted three charges of “making” indecent photographs.

The court heard that the 63-year-old paid up to £1,500 to Alex Williams, 25, who sent Edwards 41 illegal images, seven of which were of category A, the very worst kind. Of those images shared over WhatsApp, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, while one was aged as young as between seven and nine.

The sentence has provoked widespread anger but can only be made stronger if it is shown to be “unduly lenient”. It has been pointed out that the climate change Just Stop Oil activists who blocked the M25 got sentences of four and five years in prison. Even before Edwards was sentenced, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay had questioned why protesters were getting longer sentences than sexual offenders.

Others have argued that some who were arrested for the summer riots were given a disproportionate sentence compared to Edwards. A number of posts across social media noted that people received prison sentences for posting derogatory memes or “shouting at a police dog” while Edwards avoided prison despite having more than 40 indecent images of children.

Esta historia es de la edición September 18, 2024 de The Independent.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 18, 2024 de The Independent.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE INDEPENDENTVer todo
'Sometimes tears come out, you have to be an animal'
The Independent

'Sometimes tears come out, you have to be an animal'

Whether you want him to or not, 40-year-old heavyweight Derek Chisora isn’t ready to stop yet

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Legacy of 'transcendent' Senna finds another gear
The Independent

Legacy of 'transcendent' Senna finds another gear

There’s something about sport, and the global fandom the lead protagonists generate, which triggers a propensity to heroworship.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Misfiring Madrid struggling to find European safety net
The Independent

Misfiring Madrid struggling to find European safety net

After beating the team 20th in the Premier League, Liverpool defeated the side 24th in the Champions League. The similarities may end there: it is scarcely a surprise Southampton occupy that station in England. But Real Madrid, the reigning champions of Europe, find themselves 24th after five rounds.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Hojlund brace secures win in chaotic performance
The Independent

Hojlund brace secures win in chaotic performance

The banner in the Stretford End was written in Ruben Amorim’s native Portuguese. “Bem vindo a casa,” it read. Welcome home.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Insurance 'mega merger' is no great deal for consumers
The Independent

Insurance 'mega merger' is no great deal for consumers

The City loves a deal. Consumers, not so much. For them, a tieup between insurance giants Aviva and Direct Line, at a time when car insurance prices are at historic highs, is a far from enticing prospect.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Is the British car industry on the skids once more?
The Independent

Is the British car industry on the skids once more?

As Vauxhall plans to close its Luton plant putting 1,100 jobs at risk, Howard Mustoe asks if government policy is to blame

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Brat girl's down and dirty
The Independent

Brat girl's down and dirty

Charli XCX starts her victory lap in Manchester with a live show that’s as brazen as it is brilliant

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
Obsession and darkness at centre of Hitchcock classic
The Independent

Obsession and darkness at centre of Hitchcock classic

The 1964 psychodrama Marnie’ was blighted by its director’s behaviour towards the lead star Tippi Hedren, resulting in dramatic results on and off screen

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
CARDINAL SINS
The Independent

CARDINAL SINS

The twisty, Oscar-tipped Conclave’ needed more than shock and awe, writes Clarisse Loughrey, while the beautiful loneliness of All We Imagine as Light’ will speak to your soul

time-read
5 minutos  |
November 29, 2024
MasterChef host faces the heat away from the kitchen
The Independent

MasterChef host faces the heat away from the kitchen

Gregg Wallace is stepping back from the long-running BBC show while claims of misconduct are probed. Nick Hilton looks at the story of the greengrocer-turned-TV presenter

time-read
6 minutos  |
November 29, 2024