Beeb looking at behaviour of Edwards before storm

Pair say messages were 'inappropriate' Staff 'reluctant' to complain about stars

- MARK JEFFERIES

BBC journalists were looking into the behaviour of Huw Edwards before the sex images allegations were made public.

Fresh claims were reported on Newsnight hours after he was named as the man at the centre of the storm.

The new accusations were made by one current and one ex-BBC worker.

It was claimed Huw sent them "inappropriate messages... some late at night and signed off with kisses".

Both alleged there was "reluctance among junior staff to complain to managers about the conduct of high-profile colleagues in case it adversely affected their careers", according to the BBC programme's report.

Industry website Deadline said Newsnight host Victoria Derbyshire had contacted "multiple individuals" earlier this month regarding rumours about BBC news presenter Huw's alleged behaviour towards other staff. A senior BBC source confirmed that Victoria and Newsnight colleagues were looking into the alleged conduct before claims emerged last Friday in The Sun.

The paper reported accusations that a presenter - who turned out to be News at Ten anchor Huw, 61 - paid tens of thousands of pounds for sexually explicit images from someone who was allegedly 17 at the time the first photos were sent.