BBC suspends presenter over allegations about explicit photos

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The BBC has suspended a presenter over allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit images. It comes after BBC director-general Tim Davie said the corporation was "investigating swiftly and sensitively", according to the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer.

In a statement confirming the unnamed presenter has now been suspended, the BBC said: "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations. “This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps. “It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care. “We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up." The spokesman said the complaint was first made in May but new allegations have since come to light.

The statement continued: "New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols. “We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended. “We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues.

The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.” Culture Secretary Ms Frazer described the allegations, first reported by The Sun, as "deeply concerning" and said the broadcaster now needs to be given space to investigate the matter and take appropriate action.