The teeanger allegedly at the centre of the BBC presenter scandal has spoken out via their lawyer.
At the weekend, a BBC presenter became suspended over allegations they paid a teenager for sexually explicit pictures.
A lawyer for the teenager has now spoken in a letter, branding the allegations “rubbish”.
Teenager at centre of BBC presenter scandal speaks out via lawyer
In a letter to the BBC, a lawyer for the person said their client had denied claims by The Sun. The report claimed that an unnamed male presenter had reportedly paid them thousands for sexually explicit photos.
Meanwhile, in the letter, the person said they had sent a denial to The Sun. They said there was “no truth to it”. The laywer said that the “inappropriate article” still emerged.
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for The Sun said: “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.
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
The BBC reports that the lawyer said in the letter: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish.”
At the weekend, the BBC confirmed it had suspended the presenter in question amid the allegations.
BBC’s statement
A BBC spokesperson said on Friday (July 7): “We treat any allegations very seriously and we have processes in place to proactively deal with them. As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this. That includes actively attempting to speak to those who have contacted us in order to seek further detail and understanding of the situation.
“If we get no reply to our attempts or receive no further contact that can limit our ability to progress things but it does not mean our enquiries stop. If, at any point, new information comes to light or is provided – including via newspapers – this will be acted upon appropriately, in line with internal processes.”
The BBC also contacted the Met Police over the accusations. In a statement, the Met Police said: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter. But no formal referral or allegation has been made. We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.”
Read more: Full timeline of BBC explicit photo scandal – and everything we know about the suspended presenter
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