Huw Edwards’ “reputation is in tatters”. An explanation of the disgraced newsreader’s conviction

September 18, 2024, By

On 16th September 2024, former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence for two years after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

The Offence

The name of this offence is misleading. Rather than making the images himself, possession of indecent images of children on a computer is called “making”. This is a grossly confusing area of law, and the name of the offence does not clearly identify what Edwards has been convicted of.

Edwards was in possession of 41 indecent images of children. These 41 images are split into categories. Edwards was in possession of seven Category A images, 12 Category B images, and 22 Category C images. Category A images are the most serious category of images. Category A images is defined to be possession of images involving penetrative sexual activity and possession of images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism. In Edwards’s case, it is the former which applies.

What was Huw Edwards’ Sentence?

Whilst sentencing, the Magistrate commented that “It is not an exaggeration to say your long-earned reputation is in tatters”.

The public has been shocked by Edwards’s sentence, which seems lenient to many. However, the sentence is expected for this offence. When sentencing, the Magistrate must follow the sentencing guidelines for the offence, which can be found here.

The range of sentences that can be given for this offence is from a community order to a three–year custodial sentence. Once the category of images has been established, the guidelines then set out starting points and ranges.

The starting point for possession of category A images is one year’s custody, with a range of 26 weeks to three years’ custody. Edwards’s six months (26 weeks) are at the lowest end of the range.

This is due to the mitigating factors, which are explored below, and a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity. As Edwards pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, he was entitled to a one-third reduction in his sentence.

The Magistrate started at the starting point of 1 year’s custody, which was then reduced to nine months due to the mitigating factors and to six months due to the guilty plea. Edwards will also be on the sex offenders register for seven years.

Edwards will also need to report to a local police station and register his details, including his address, within three days of his sentence. He will now need to inform the police if he moves house, spends more than a week away from his home, or travels overseas.

Whilst there is no publicly available list of sex offenders for the public to access. Under Sarah’s Law, parents and carers can ask the police if someone who has access to their child has been convicted or suspected of child abuse.

Edwards has also been ordered to complete a sex offender programme and further rehabilitative sessions.

Mitigating factors

Mitigating factors are any factors that indicate a lower culpability. In Huw Edwards’s case, the mitigating factors were that he had no previous convictions, had voluntarily stopped receiving the images, had shown remorse and had a mental disorder.

Huw Edwards’s defence team had obtained a psychiatrist’s report supporting that he had a mental disorder and stating that the risk of Edwards taking his own life was “high and significant” if imprisoned.

What Does a Suspended Sentence Mean?

The Magistrate has the ability to suspend any sentence of two years or less. The factors which the court considers are set out here.

The factors that applied to Edwards are that he was assessed by Probation Services that he has a low risk of reoffending and he had strong personal mitigation. Edwards was also assessed to not pose a risk to the public or children and that he could be rehabilitated.

Applying the guidelines, Edwards’s sentence was suspended for two years. This means that Edwards will not go to prison straight away. He will be subjected to a probation period of two years.

As long as he does not commit any further offence of any nature, he will not serve any of his sentence in prison. If he commits a further offence during the probation period, he will have to serve his original sentence in prison plus the sentence for the new offence committed.

Public Backlash

It is evident on social media that many have been shocked and outraged by the sentence Huw Edwards received. Members of the public have commented that Edwards has received special treatment, which is not true.

It is clear that the Magistrate followed the guidelines in all circumstances in this case. However, it does not mean that the public cannot wholeheartedly disagree with the sentence.

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