Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

The former BBC Presenter, Hugh Edwards, has arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court. Of course, he's due to appear in court having been charged with making indecent images of children. We can bring you the images of him arriving now. Our Arts and Entertainment Correspondent, Katie Spencer, is at Westminster Magistrates Court for us. Katie, he's just arrived.

[00:00:24]

Yeah, look, we haven't seen the BBC's former newsreader in public for over a year. It's been over a year since he was on the BBC News at Ten reading the headlines for them. This was a very different encounter with many of his peers, if you like. He walked very slowly around the corner from here into Westminster Magistrates. A sworn of photographers taking his picture. Such was the crush that one of the photographers actually was pushed over in part of the excitement to capture his picture. Hugh Edwards has spoken in the past about his Christian faith. There are also a number of Christian protesters here, shouting things at the newsreader like, Repent. Look, he hasn't been seen in public in over a year, as I said. When he left the public eye, we know through his wife that she said that he has been experiencing a lot of mental health problems. This return to public life to have to answer the CPS charges against him is a very, very different experience for the newsreader. We know now that he was questioned by the police last November, charged at the end of last month with three counts of making indecent images of children.

[00:01:45]

From the charge sheet that we have, we know that relates to 37 images that he was in possession of on WhatsApp. The images came between 2020 and 2022, and six of those those 37 images were classed as category A, which are among the most serious images that you can be in possession of. In theory, the maximum charge that he could receive, if found guilty of this, would be at 10 years in jail. But we are a long way off any plea even being entered. This is a very basic hearing today. Well, Hugh Edwards will have the charges read to him, and just the basics of his name and address will be confirmed.