BBC suspends male presenter over explicit photo allegations
An investigation's underway after reports first emerged on Friday
The BBC has announced it has suspended a male presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for explicit images.
In a statement the corporation said:
"The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
“This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.
“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.
“We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.
“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.”
The news follows reports which first emerged in The Sun on Friday night.
The newspaper says a family member of the teenager said to be involved claimed the incident had ruined her son's life.
Neither the individual or the teenager mentioned in the reports have been named.
A number of BBC broadcasters have spoken out to deny their involvement in the case, criticising those who have made false claims about them on social media.
Earlier the Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke with the BBC's Director General Tim Davie, saying she believed the corporation is doing what it can to investigate 'swiftly and sensitively'.
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