In yet another twist in the scandal gripping UK media, a SECOND young person has come forward with claims against a high-profile BBC presenter.
In the development following The Sun’s bombshell claims that a senior BBC presenter paid for sexually explicit images from a minor, a second young person has said they were contacted by the star and felt “threatened” when they didn’t want to meet up with him.
The young person (in their 20s) has said that they connected with the presenter on a dating app and received “expletive-filled abuse” from him, however they have made it clear that they did not receive any payment for sexual imagery.
The BBC reported on Tuesday that it had been contacted by a second young person who was contacted by the presenter on a dating app. When the young person threatened to reveal his identity they were sent abusive messages, the BBC said.
The public broadcaster confirmed that the messages were sent from the presenter’s phone number. It added that it had not received a response from the star or his lawyer about the latest claims.
The BBC suspended the unnamed presenter after the tabloid newspaper claimed he paid £35,000 pounds ($67,000) for sexually explicit photos of the boy back in 2020, when he was 17.
The Sun published the story after it was contacted by the boy’s parents who said that their son was now addicted to crack cocaine after being paid for sexual images by the BBC star.
The mother said her child had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years.
The young person at the centre of the storm, however, disagreed with his parents. A lawyer representing the young person now dismissing the claims as “rubbish”, adding that nothing inappropriate happened.
Despite the boy’s denial, The Sun defended its decision to publish the story saying it “reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child”.
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate,” it said.
