BBC knew Huw Edwards had been arrested in November

Edwards was suspended by the BBC last July following reports in the Sun newspaper claiming he had paid a young person for sexually explicit images.

The Metropolitan Police said they found no evidence of criminal behaviour in relation to those allegations, and that the current case was separate.

The Sun first published its report after speaking to the mother of the young person concerned.

Following Edwards' admission of guilt, she told the paper, external that it "sickens me to my core that he had those videos of that little boy when he was also talking to my child and asking them for sexual pictures".

She added that, after facing criticism for going to the press, she "felt the whole world was against me".

Last week, the BBC's annual report revealed Edwards received between £475,000-£479,999 between April 2023 and April 2024, an increase of £40,000 on the previous year.

A BBC source said the corporation "did not believe there was any legal recourse to recoup any previous pay or future pension money" from Edwards.