An unnamed BBC star suspended over claims they paid a teenager for sexually explicit images has been accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a young person from a dating site
An unnamed BBC star suspended over claims they paid a teenager for sexually explicit images has been accused of breaking lockdown rules to meet a young person from a dating site.
The presenter allegedly ignored strict Covid rules and travelled across London to another county to meet the youngster at their flat in February 2021.
According to The Sun, messages suggest that — as well as visiting the 23-year-old’s home — the star sent cash, and asked for a picture.
The young person said they first met the presenter in November 2020 on a dating site before they moved their conversation to WhatsApp a month later.
“I got a message from him from an account that didn’t have his picture," the individual told The Sun.
“We started chatting and I didn’t know it was the star at the time. When he told me his name and what he did I put two and two together.”
The young person claims the presenter discussed meeting straightaway, despite England being in a strict three-tier system which advised the public not to travel to an outside area.
They added: “He was always asking to meet and I found it quite pressurising. There were restrictions and they kept getting stricter but he constantly asked.”
At the time, Tier 3 restrictions were put in place when there was a “very high” alert over the virus.
The youngster said: “I kept fobbing him off but he became so persistent. He then started getting really demanding when I made excuses not to meet him.
“There was a barrage of messages and if I didn’t agree to meet he would say he felt unwanted and I had to explain myself constantly. His attitude changed completely.”
The individual said: “I wanted to just meet up and go for a nice drink but he kept insisting to come to mine.
“I finally gave in and arranged to meet — nearly two months after we had started speaking properly.”
The star’s web date said: “He came round for an hour. I was quite shocked that he broke the rules to come and meet me because of who he is. I was just a random person online. We just chatted. He was obsessed with me making him a cup of tea.”
When he left the flat, he wrote to the youngster: “I didn’t want to leave either. I really liked your company. Next time I’ll stay longer.”
On the day of the visit, he sent the young person a “present” of £200 — one of three payments made to a PayPal account.
They added: “It is complete hypocrisy of the BBC star. He thought he was above everybody else.
“The BBC points the finger at others who do wrong but their big star was happy to act like the rules don’t apply to him.”
