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A “household name” BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for explicit photos is facing fresh allegations that he stripped to his underpants during a video call with the youth.

The young person’s mother said she was “shocked” after her offspring showed her a screenshot of the video chat, in which the unnamed star was sitting in his boxer shorts on a sofa at his home.

She told The Sun that the man appeared to be “leaning forward, getting ready for my child to perform for him.”

“My child told me, ‘I have shown things’ and this was a picture from some kind of video call,” she added.

The newspaper did not say when the alleged incident happened.

The mother also alleged that earlier this year she was shocked after overhearing the presenter “on the phone saying to my child: ‘I told you not to f***ing ring me’.”

It comes after The Sun previously claimed that the well-known presenter had paid a total of more than £35,000 to the youth in return for “sexual pictures”.

The man is said to have first requested images when the teenager was 17 back in 2020, and has made a series of payments since then.

No one involved has been named, but The Sun said the presenter has not been suspended and is thought to still being paid his six-figure salary in full.

It said the family made a complaint on 19 May but came forward to the media after becoming frustrated that the man was still on air a month later.

The mother said her offspring told her they had also received a payment of £1,000 in June over PayPal which suggested that the “BBC hadn’t spoken to this man” in the weeks after the initial complaint.

Going public ‘the only way to stop it’

The presenter is now off-air and the BBC has reportedly launched an investigation, although the corporation has not confirmed this.

The youth, who is now aged 20, used the money to fund a crack cocaine habit which “destroyed” their life, the mother has also claimed.

She told the newspaper: “If it goes on then my child is going to wind up dead. Putting this out to the public is the only way to stop it.”

The claims have prompted frenzied speculation on social media over the identity of the presenter and led to a string of BBC stars, including Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker, to public speak out to deny they are the mystery figure.

‘Right systems and processes must be in place’

Dame Caroline Dinenage, senior Conservative MP and chair of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, said she was concerned that the corporation had taken “a very long time” to investigate the claims.

“It’s vital that TV companies have in place the right systems and processes to ensure their stars, who have disproportionate power and influence over the lives and careers of others, don’t abuse it,” she said.

“Clearly the BBC now has some questions to answer. There is pressure on their HR department to investigate these latest claims quickly and explain what has happened since this story first came to light back in May.”

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On BBC’s News at Ten programme on Saturday, the broadcaster’s special correspondent Lucy Manning described the situation as “very serious for the BBC” and warned it could “severely dent the BBC’s reputation”.

She added: “The understanding is the presenter isn’t due on air in the near future, but we haven’t been told – and we have asked…. whether there has or hasn’t been a formal suspension.

“The BBC will need to answer if the investigation should have happened sooner, if it should have been more thorough, and if it’s fair to other presenters, unconnected to this, that their names are now sort of in the headlines.”

‘We treat any allegations very seriously’

A BBC spokesperson said: “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them.

“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.”

They added: “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 enquiries 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.”

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Assisted dying bill backed by MPs after emotional Commons debate

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2 hours ago

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November 29, 2024

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Assisted dying bill backed by MPs after emotional Commons debate

Assisted dying could become legal in England and Wales after the bill was backed by MPs in a historic vote.

Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 yes votes compared to 275 noes at its second reading in the House of Commons – a majority of 55.

Politics Live: MPs voting on historic assisted dying legislation

The bill would allow adults who are terminally ill with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives.

Today’s result means the legislation will now progress to the committee stage for scrutiny, with the Lords also to be given opportunities to express their views on the measure before it potentially becomes law.

MPs were given a free vote – meaning they could side with their conscience and not along party lines, with the government staying neutral on the matter.

The division list showed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed the proposal, as did Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

But other cabinet members like Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood voted against the bill, having previously warned about vulnerable people being coerced and of a “slippery slope of death on demand”.

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MPs debate assisted dying

The vote came after a five-hour debate in the chamber, which drew emotional arguments on both sides.

Conservative former minister Andrew Mitchell revealed he changed his mind on assisted dying after finding himself with “tears pouring down my face” on hearing the stories of constituents whose loved ones had died “in great pain and great indignity”.

On the other side of the argument, veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott said assisted dying could result in sick people “feeling like a burden” on society, adding: ” I can imagine myself saying that in particular circumstances.”

She warned: “If this bill passes, we will have the NHS as a fully-funded 100% suicide service but palliative care will only be funded at 30% at best.”

Bill about ‘choice and dignity’

Opening the debate on the topic, Labour backbencher Ms Leadbeater said the bill was about giving dying people “choice, autonomy, and dignity” – saying the current law was “failing” them.

Pic: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Screen grab of Labour MP Kim Leadbetter opening the debate in favour of her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, in the chamber of the House of Commons in Westminster, London. Picture date: Friday November 29, 2024. MIME type: image/jpeg Width: 1920 Height: 1080 Copyright holder: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire
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Kim Leadbeater: PA

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She has insisted her bill contains “the most robust safeguards” of any assisted dying legislation in the word.

This includes two independent doctors having to approve the decision, followed by a high-court judge, with the person having to administer the drugs themselves.

The legislation also includes a maximum 14-year prison sentence for anyone who coerces someone into requesting assisted dying or taking the medicine.

Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby after the vote, an emotional Ms Leadbeater said she was “incredibly proud” of the result and parliament must now “take on board everything that’s been discussed in the chamber”, including the state of palliative care and the rights of disabled people.

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Heidi Alexander named new transport secretary after Louise Haigh’s resignation over mobile phone guilty plea

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5 hours ago

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November 29, 2024

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Heidi Alexander named new transport secretary after Louise Haigh's resignation over mobile phone guilty plea

Heidi Alexander has been appointed the new transport secretary after Louise Haigh stepped down.

The Swindon South MP had been serving as a justice minister until her promotion today, and worked as Sadiq Khan’s deputy transport mayor between 2018-2021.

Ms Haigh resigned after Sky News revealed she pleaded guilty to an offence related to incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

In a letter to the prime minister, she described the incident as a “mistake” but said that “whatever the facts of the matter, this issue will inevitably be a distraction from delivering on the work of this government”.

Ms Haigh claims she was “mugged on a night out” and believed her phone had been stolen, but discovered “some time later” this was not the case.

She called the incident a “genuine mistake from which I did not make any gain”.

The Tories have said it raises questions about what exactly Sir Keir knew when he appointed her to his shadow cabinet in opposition.

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Responding to her resignation letter, the prime minister thanked Ms Haigh for “all you have done to deliver this government’s ambitious transport agenda” and said: “I know you still have a huge contribution to make in the future.”

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16-year-old girl charged with murder of man in King’s Cross

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5 hours ago

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November 29, 2024

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16-year-old girl charged with murder of man in King's Cross

A 16-year-old girl has been charged with the murder of a man in King’s Cross.

The teenager, from Brixton, south London, will appear at magistrates’ court later today charged with the murder of Anthony Marks, 51, in August this year.

Mr Marks was assaulted on Cromer Street on Saturday 10 August.

A 17-year-old boy has previously been charged and remanded in custody to face trial next year.

Police are keen to hear from any witnesses who may not have come forward yet, as well as Mr Marks’s next of kin, who still remain unidentified.

Read more from Sky News:
Assisted dying: What is in the legislation?
Woman on e-bike dies after being ‘rammed by 4×4’

Anyone with information should call the police at 101 or contact the incident room direct on 0208 358 0300.

They can also reach out on social media platform X.

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