THE BBC has suspended a staff member following allegations that a high-profile presenter paid a teenager to send him explicit photographs.
On Sunday, the BBC released a statement confirming that a male member of staff, who has not been named, had been suspended after allegations emerged over the weekend.
According to The Sun, the "household name" presenter requested sexually explicit photos from the teen in 2020 when they were 17-years-old.
Since then he is alleged to made a series of payments totalling more than £35,000.
The statement from the BBC read: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
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“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 corporation also confirmed that it had been in touch with police regarding the allegations.
In an internal e-mail staff BBC director general Tim Davie said:
"By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex. I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.
"We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate."
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