‘Nothing inappropriate,’ says young person’s lawyer, in BBC presenter row.
Image: Reuters Article Source
A lawyer who represents the young person has stated that the claims made by the young person’s mother, who is at the centre of the scandal involving the BBC presenter, are “rubbish.”
The attorney stated to the BBC that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful” took occur, and the young person emailed a rebuttal of the charges to The Sun before the newspaper published them.
On Friday, the allegations that a BBC broadcaster had paid a youngster for sexually explicit images were originally revealed by The Sun.
The mother’s assertions are reportedly supported by facts, according to the newspaper.
The lawyer says the young person wrote a message on WhatsApp to the publication on Friday evening disputing the charges, stating that the statement their mother made to the newspaper was “totally wrong and there was no truth to it.” The lawyer submitted this letter to the BBC on Monday.
In spite of this, the lawyer continued, “their inappropriate article” was published in the Sun newspaper.
“For the avoidance of doubt, nothing improper or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality, and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish,” the attorney adds. “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality.”
The attorney for the young person contests the allegations made against the BBC presenter
In addition, the legal representative stated that the press coverage constituted an invasion of privacy and criticised both the Sun and the BBC for failing to get in touch with their client.
The attorney says in his letter that it seems as though nobody from the Sun newspaper made any attempt to get in touch with their client prior to the publishing of the charges on Friday, July 6th.
In addition, the attorney asserts in the letter that the mother and the young person have a strained relationship.
As a response, the newspaper known as “The Sun” issued the following statement: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.”
The BBC did not take any action in response to their complaint.
There is proof that backs up their claims, and we have seen it. It is now up to the BBC to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Following the publication of excerpts from the young person’s legal letter by BBC News on Monday evening, a new article was written and published by The Sun.
Both the biological mother and the stepfather who have made the allegations have stated, in a recent interview, that they “stand by” their accusations.
The identity of the young person has not been revealed by BBC News, and we have not had any direct contact with them.
It has not seen any of the body of evidence that was obtained by the Sun, nor has it seen the dossier that the Sun reported the family had given to the corporation over the weekend.
The BBC announced on Sunday that a member of staff had been suspended, but they have not disclosed who this person is.
The company issued a statement saying that it was making every effort to “establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.”
The Metropolitan Police have stated that there is not currently an investigation into the allegations made against the presenter; however, they are “assessing” the information that the BBC has provided regarding the allegations.
On Monday, detectives participated in a virtual meeting with representatives from the BBC, according to a spokesperson for the force.
According to a revelation that was published by The Sun on Friday, a BBC presenter is alleged to have paid the individual tens of thousands of pounds for the photos, beginning when the young person was only 17 years old.
The BBC stated that it was made aware of a complaint for the first time in May, and that it got “new allegations” on Thursday, which was the day before the Sun published its initial claims.
According to a report that was published in the Sun on Sunday, the family of the young person was said to be upset by the most recent response provided by the corporation. The family claimed that “no-one from the BBC rang them for a proper interview after the initial complaint.”
In addition, the newspaper asserted that the BBC presenter made what it termed two “panicked calls” to the young person, who is now 20 years old, after the initial story was published.
‘Nothing inappropriate’ in BBC presenter row, says lawyer.