BBC presenter allegedly sent abusive, expletive-laden messages to young person: Report
The presenter in question first contacted the individual via a dating app, as per BBC.
- Jul 12, 2023,
- Updated Jul 12, 2023 11:08 AM IST
One of male presenters previously associated with the UK’s British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) allegedly sent abusive and expletive-laden messages to a person in their early 20s. The presenter in question first contacted the individual via a dating app, as per BBC.
When the individual said they might name the presenter online during one of their conversations, the presenter sent abusive and expletive-laden messages to the person, the BBC further said.
The young person told the British public service broadcaster that they were intimidated due to the power held by the presenter.
The presenter in question has been suspended by the BBC as of now and his name has not been disclosed to protect his privacy. The individual also said the threats made in the messages frightened them.
While the individual has spoken to BBC News, they have not filed a complaint with the BBC corporate investigations unit which is looking into allegations. The British broadcaster also said it has received no response from either the presenter or his lawyer regarding these allegations.
This, however, is not the only scandal to hit the BBC as The Sun newspaper reported that another presenter associated with the BBC allegedly paid a young person 35,000 pounds or around $45,000 for explicit photos over three years. This reportedly began when the person was 17 years.
The mother of the person, who is now aged 20, told the newspaper that the man’s alleged funds used to feed her child’s drug addiction. She said they went from being a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in merely three years. She added she was worried her child could “wind up dead”.
The UK police is examining circumstances to establish whether there was evidence of a criminal offence. Commenting on the sequence of events, BBC Director General Tim Davie told reporters said it is vital that events of such nature are handled with diligence and care.
Davie said: “The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with utmost diligence and care”.
BBC was also in the middle of a hornet’s nest earlier this year after one of its highest paid presenters Gary Lineker criticised the Rishi Sunak government’s immigration policy.
Not only in the UK, BBC has also had its fair share of controversies in India as well. Earlier this year, the Income Tax Department searched the British broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and at least two linked premises as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in India. The BBC said it was “fully co-operating” with the authorities. The raids came weeks after the BBC aired a contentious documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled India: the Modi Question. This documentary looked into Narendra Modi’s rise on the political horizon and his handling of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Indian government said it used “emergency powers” to block the documentary from airing in India. YouTube and Twitter complied with the government’s order. The documentary reportedly referred to a confidential UK government report that found PM Modi responsible for the violence and described the riots as featuring the "hallmarks of ethnic cleansing".
The documentary also featured an interview with former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw. He reportedly said the claims that Modi played a "proactive role in pulling back police and in tacitly encouraging the Hindu extremists" are very serious in nature. He also called these riots an "egregious example of political involvement to prevent police from doing their job to protect the Hindus and the Muslims".
In March this year, the official Twitter handle of BBC Punjabi News was also withheld when the manhunt for pro-Khalistani preacher and ideologue Amritpal Singh was on. The handle of BBC Punjabi News was taken down "in response to a legal demand", according to a message displayed on its Twitter profile.
One of male presenters previously associated with the UK’s British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) allegedly sent abusive and expletive-laden messages to a person in their early 20s. The presenter in question first contacted the individual via a dating app, as per BBC.
When the individual said they might name the presenter online during one of their conversations, the presenter sent abusive and expletive-laden messages to the person, the BBC further said.
The young person told the British public service broadcaster that they were intimidated due to the power held by the presenter.
The presenter in question has been suspended by the BBC as of now and his name has not been disclosed to protect his privacy. The individual also said the threats made in the messages frightened them.
While the individual has spoken to BBC News, they have not filed a complaint with the BBC corporate investigations unit which is looking into allegations. The British broadcaster also said it has received no response from either the presenter or his lawyer regarding these allegations.
This, however, is not the only scandal to hit the BBC as The Sun newspaper reported that another presenter associated with the BBC allegedly paid a young person 35,000 pounds or around $45,000 for explicit photos over three years. This reportedly began when the person was 17 years.
The mother of the person, who is now aged 20, told the newspaper that the man’s alleged funds used to feed her child’s drug addiction. She said they went from being a “happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in merely three years. She added she was worried her child could “wind up dead”.
The UK police is examining circumstances to establish whether there was evidence of a criminal offence. Commenting on the sequence of events, BBC Director General Tim Davie told reporters said it is vital that events of such nature are handled with diligence and care.
Davie said: “The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is that they are handled with utmost diligence and care”.
BBC was also in the middle of a hornet’s nest earlier this year after one of its highest paid presenters Gary Lineker criticised the Rishi Sunak government’s immigration policy.
Not only in the UK, BBC has also had its fair share of controversies in India as well. Earlier this year, the Income Tax Department searched the British broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and at least two linked premises as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in India. The BBC said it was “fully co-operating” with the authorities. The raids came weeks after the BBC aired a contentious documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled India: the Modi Question. This documentary looked into Narendra Modi’s rise on the political horizon and his handling of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The Indian government said it used “emergency powers” to block the documentary from airing in India. YouTube and Twitter complied with the government’s order. The documentary reportedly referred to a confidential UK government report that found PM Modi responsible for the violence and described the riots as featuring the "hallmarks of ethnic cleansing".
The documentary also featured an interview with former UK foreign secretary Jack Straw. He reportedly said the claims that Modi played a "proactive role in pulling back police and in tacitly encouraging the Hindu extremists" are very serious in nature. He also called these riots an "egregious example of political involvement to prevent police from doing their job to protect the Hindus and the Muslims".
In March this year, the official Twitter handle of BBC Punjabi News was also withheld when the manhunt for pro-Khalistani preacher and ideologue Amritpal Singh was on. The handle of BBC Punjabi News was taken down "in response to a legal demand", according to a message displayed on its Twitter profile.