Huw Edwards' 'fall from grace' and 'riot outrage'

Court sketch of Huw Edwards in Westminster Magistrates' CourtImage source, Julia Quenzler
Image caption,

Court sketch of Huw Edwards in Westminster Magistrates' Court

  • Published

"Guilty" says the Sun's, external front page, which features a picture of Huw Edwards arriving at court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. Last July, the paper broke an unrelated story alleging that the presenter had paid a young person for sexually explicit images. The Metropolitan Police said they found no evidence of criminal behaviour in relation to those allegations, and that the current case was separate.

The Daily Express, external has a similar front page - "I'm guilty". The paper describes Huw Edwards as "disgraced" and "emotionless", alongside a picture of him surrounded by police and photographers. The Guardian, external features the same image, and says the 62-year-old faces a prison sentence. The Times, external says BBC insiders have described Edwards's downfall as "embarrassing" and "a nightmare". The Daily Mirror, external calls it a "catastrophic fall from grace".

"Who knew about Huw?" asks the Daily Mail., external The paper focuses on the questions being asked of BBC bosses after the former presenter's guilty plea to what it calls "vile" child abuse images. The Daily Telegraph, external also says questions are being asked of the corporation, following reports last week that revealed he'd received a £40,000 pay rise while suspended. "BBC in turmoil" says the i's, external front page. The paper references an urgent meeting between the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, and the BBC director-general, Tim Davie, saying Ms Nandy "wants answers".

The Metro, external leads with a plea from the mother of one of the victims of Monday's mass stabbing in Southport. The paper says Jenni Stancombe has called for an end to the rioting that has broken out in the days since the attack. The mother of 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe describes the police as heroes and says her family, and the families of the other victims "don't need this". The Daily Mail, external says a Russian-linked fake news website spread lies about the person behind the stabbing, which fuelled the riots and led to a local mosque being attacked. The paper says the website claimed the attacker was a migrant on an MI6 watchlist.

The Guardian, external leads on rising "fears of escalation" in the Middle East, after airstrikes killed Hamas' leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in the space of 12 hours. Iran - which backs Hezbollah - blamed Israel for the deaths. Israel hasn't commented. The Financial Times, external shows a man holding a framed photo of Ismail Haniyeh with Palestinian flags in the background. The paper's headline reads "Iran vows revenge on Israel".

The Daily Telegraph, external says a fifth of teenagers, aged between 16 and 18, show signs of being addicted to their phone. Researchers at King's College London have found that people suffering from phone addiction were twice as likely to experience depression. The paper features quotes from a senior lecturer from King's institute of psychiatry, who says young people involved in its studies are actively trying to reduce their phone use.

The Daily Star, external warns its readers of what it calls "holiday chaos", with around 220 miles worth of roadworks planned on Britain's motorways this summer. The paper says that on the M1 alone, a 10-mile stretch of road near Leeds will be affected. The works form part of a £390m programme to add more places to stop on smart motorways.

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