BBC star taken off air following ‘serious allegation’ of paying teenager for sexual pictures
A general view of BBC Broadcasting House in London
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A BBC star has been taken off air following “serious allegations” about paying a teenager for sexual pictures.
The unnamed presenter allegedly paid more than £35,000.
Cash given to the teenager reportedly funded their crack drug habit.
Family members have claimed to have complained to the broadcaster on May 19.
BBC building
PAThe recipient’s mother told The Sun: “When I see him on telly, I feel sick.
“I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.
“Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child.”
She added: “There were huge sums, hundreds or thousands of pounds at a time.
“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump.
The entrance of the BBC's main building
PA“The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”
The money handed to the now-20-year-old supposedly transformed a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in three years.
The BBC has since said it takes allegations of such a nature “very seriously”.
A spokesperson from the national broadcaster said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.
BBC Breakfast celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special show and guests at MediaCityUK, Salford
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“As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.
“That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact, that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our inquiries stop.
“If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”