BBC boss quizzed on whether unnamed presenter paid for young person's lawyer
Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, has said he is 'not party' to 'information' on whether or not the BBC presenter accused of paying a young person for sexually explicit photos has spoken to the person involved – or if they have paid their legal fees.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4's World at One on Tuesday, the 56-year-old was asked by host Sarah Montague if he knows "categorically" whether or not the prominent male broadcaster, who remains unnamed, paid for lawyers for the person involved.
"That's not information I'm party to," Davie replied, before adding, "I don't even think that's something for the BBC."
On Friday, the BBC had suspended a presenter over allegations they had paid a young person £35,000 for explicit photos over the course of three years. The report also included claims from the mother of the individual, who was 17 when the exchange began and is now 20, that this money had been used to fund the crack cocaine addiction of her child.
Davie went on to say he does not know if the presenter and the young person have spoken since the story broke.
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Elsewhere in the BBC Radio 4 interview, the BBC boss said of the allegations: "It is not a good situation."
However, he later added of the corporation: "The BBC by going at the story absolutely independently maintains strong levels of trust. Organisationally, we're doing the right thing... We'll be as transparent as we can."
When the BBC boss was asked by Montague why he hadn't talked directly to the presenter, he replied, "I think it is critical they are spoken to a very senior manager." He also denied that it was "odd" that he hadn't spoken to them.
At another point of the interview, Davie explained that the BBC's corporate investigations team decided to look into the allegations after the first phone call on the matter, which was 29-minutes in length, was made to the organisation.
In a letter to the BBC shared on Monday, the legal representative of the young person claimed that the allegations made against the presenter in the Sun were untrue.
"For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality," they said.
A spokesperson for The Sun said: "We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child. Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate."
On Monday, a virtual meeting between the Metropolitan police specialist crime command and BBC representatives to discuss the allegations took place. Today, it was revealed that the Met has asked the BBC to pause its inquiries into the suspended presenter while their own team decide if there is any justification for a criminal investigation.
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