BBC presenter accused of 'breaking' Covid lockdown rules to meet young person
Further allegations have been made against the unnamed male BBC presenter, as ITV News' Rebecca Barry reports
A 23-year-old person has claimed the BBC presenter, facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit photos, broke Covid lockdown rules to meet them in February 2021, The Sun newspaper has reported.
The newspaper said it has seen messages which suggest the presenter travelled to see the young person in February 2021, after meeting them on a dating website the previous November.
The person told The Sun the presenter travelled to meet them at their flat, when strict Covid lockdown rules were in place, including a stay at home order and mixing only between household bubbles.
According to the person, the presenter gave them more than £600 in three payments, which the newspaper said messages also suggest.
The Sun said it had approached the BBC and the presenter for comment and would hand over evidence to the BBC's investigation team.
They appear to be a separate person to the others who have made claims against the presenter, who has been suspended by the BBC.
The Sun first made allegations on Friday about the unnamed presenter, claiming a different young person was paid around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for sexually explicit images.
On Tuesday, BBC News reported a person in their early 20s - who the broadcaster said is not connected to the person in the first report by the Sun - allegedly received threatening messages from the presenter.
According to the broadcaster, the presenter - who the BBC announced at the weekend has been suspended - met the individual on a dating app, not in person and asked them not to tell anyone.
The person later posted online alluding to having had contact with the presenter and hinted they might name him.
The presenter then allegedly sent a number of "threatening messages", which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the unnamed man.
The BBC said the young person felt "threatened" by the messages and "remains scared".
BBC News said it had contacted the presenter via his lawyer, but had received no response to the allegations.
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