BBC presenter facing new claims after second person alleges they received 'threatening' messages

  • BBC

The individual in their early 20s have alleged they felt threatened by messages they received from the BBC presenter, ITV News' Rebecca Barry reports

The BBC presenter facing allegations that he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos sent threatening messages to a young person in their early 20s, the broadcaster has reported.

The fresh allegations add further pressure for the BBC as it deals with the fallout from separate claims made against the unnamed male presenter and first reported by The Sun newspaper at the weekend.

Speaking to BBC News, the young person - who has no connection to the person at the centre of the Sun's story about payments for photos - said they had been scared by the power the presenter held.

According to the BBC, the individual met the presenter on a dating app before their conversations moved to other platforms.

The presenter then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone.

The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with a BBC presenter and hinting they might name him.

The presenter then sent a number of "threatening messages" which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the presenter.

The BBC said the young person felt "threatened" by the messages and "remain scared".

BBC News said it had contacted the presenter via his lawyer but had received no response to the allegations.

The Sun first made allegations on Friday about the unnamed presenter in which it says a young person was paid around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for explicit images.

On Tuesday, an unnamed police force confirmed it was contacted by the parents of the teenager in April.

The force said that "no criminality was identified" initially, however it has since met with the Metropolitan Police and the BBC, it was alleged.

A statement said: "As a result of recent developments, further inquiries are ongoing to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence."

Earlier in the day, the BBC said it had paused an internal investigation into the allegations against the presenter after a meeting with the Metropolitan Police.

In a statement, the broadcaster said it was "asked to pause its investigations into the allegations while the police scope future work".

A timeline of events so far

  • Thursday, May 18: The complainant attends a BBC building, where they sought to make a complaint about the behaviour of a presenter.

  • Friday, May 19: The complainant contacts the BBC Audience Services; this contact is referred to the BBC's investigation team. The investigation team concludes the information provided did not include allegations of criminality but nonetheless merited further investigation.

  • Tuesday, June 6: After the complainant failed to respond to an email requesting information to verify their identity the BBC attempted to contact them by phone, but the call did not connect, according to the BBC, and the case remained open.

  • Thursday, July 6: The Sun contacts the BBC about the allegations with their source being the same person as the original complainant. The Director-General and other senior staff are informed. The BBC said these allegations were "different" to the matter already being investigated.

  • Thursday, July 6: A senior manager discusses the allegations with the presenter involved and it is agreed they will not appear on air until the matter is resolved.

  • Friday, July 7: The Sun publishes a story that an unnamed BBC presenter has paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos; the teen's mother accuses the star of fuelling her child's "crack cocaine addiction." The BBC contacts the police regarding the allegations.

  • Saturday, July 8: Gary Lineker and Jeremy Vine tweet they are not the unidentified staff member following social media speculation.

  • Saturday, July 8:, the complainant sent the BBC more information regarding the complaint.

  • Sunday, July 9: Rylan Clarke also denies any connection to the story and the BBC confirms the accused presenter has been suspended and that the corporation is in touch with the police.

  • Monday, July 10: Downing Street issues a warning to social media sites following baseless accusations thrown at top BBC talent; Met Police confirm they are still establishing whether a criminal offence was committed.

  • Monday, July 10: The young person at the centre of the allegations tells BBC News via a lawyer that the allegations are "rubbish" and there is "no truth at all" in the Sun's report.

  • Monday, July 10: The parents of the young person speak to the Sun and say they "stand by" their claims.

  • Monday, July 10: After further meetings with the police the BBC pause their investigation at their request.

  • Tuesday, July 11: BBC director-general Tim Davie set to speak to media in the wake of the reports.

  • Tuesday, July 11: New claims made against the same male BBC presenter by a second person. It is alleged the individual received threatening messages from the presenter.

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