Huw Edwards, once the BBC’s most senior news presenter, has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
He admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by another man on WhatsApp, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
They included seven category A images, the most serious classification.
Until last year, Edwards was one of the main presenters on BBC One’s News at Ten and often fronted coverage of major national events.
He was arrested last November and charged last month. He will be sentenced on 16 September and a probation report will been compiled.
The court heard on Wednesday that Edwards had been involved in online chat on WhatsApp from December 2020 with an adult man, who sent him 377 sexual images, of which 41 were indecent images of children.
As well as the category A images, he also had 12 category B pictures and 22 category C photographs.
The final indecent image was sent in August 2021 – a category A film featuring a young boy.
The man told Edwards the boy was quite young looking, and that he had more images which were illegal, the court was told.
Mr Edwards told him not to send any illegal images.
No more were sent, and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, making indecent images can have a wide definition in the law and can include receiving them via social media.
The Metropolitan Police said the allegations were separate from other claims that were widely reported and investigated last year.
“These allegations did not form part of the matter which was considered by police in July 2023. They were investigated separately as a standalone case,” a police spokesperson said.
Edwards left the BBC in April.
