PAEDOPHILE Huw Edwards has escaped jail, but there can be no escape for the victims who were abused in order to make the vile videos he described as “amazing”.
Edwards has admitted being sent 41 indecent images of children- one vile video shows a boy as young as seven.
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The evidence which emerged in the sentencing hearing shows him actively seeking out images, even saying “go on” when he was offered “young” pictures.
It is quite clear he knew what he was looking at, some of the files were labelled “adolescent”.
Edward’s defence lawyer told the court that the 41 images were at the lower end of seriousness.
Try telling that to the children who appeared in them and whose lives have no doubt been blighted by abuse carried out to provide perpetrators like Edwards with material.
When people talk about “indecent images” in a case like this, we must never forget that this is an actual child involved that is being horrifically abused.
The photographs and images in this case are essentially forensic evidence of a crime being committed against a child.
I have spent years as a campaigner trying to get the world to understand they are never “just pictures”.
These are real children and young people suffering devastating and dangerous abuse.
Or if the images are historic, these are children who have grown into adults who have suffered that trauma.
All the evidence we have seen shows Huw Edwards spoke about these images as if they are the most normal thing in the world.
He even stopped to wish the sender a “Happy Christmas”.
Sharing heinous images of this nature facilitates and promotes abuse.
The judge seemed extremely mindful of Edward’s mental health and how negatively a prison spell would impact him.
But I know from my years as a campaigner, the victims harmed in the process of making the material Huw Edwards willingly viewed, likely remain trapped in a psychological prison of their own.
What about their mental health? What support will be available for their rehabilitation?
I am stunned that a man in Edwards position, a respected news anchor who knows the law and has reported on all kinds of major stories and crimes, would not report this kind of image immediately to the police, at the very least.
Many, like me, will feel very shocked and let down.
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