Huw Edwards was spared immediate jail after he paid £1,500 for images and videos he branded “amazing” – a decision a judge reached despite emphasising the severe impact of child sexual abuse
More paedophiles should be jailed in the wake of the Huw Edwards scandal, a top crime boss claims.
Graeme Biggar, the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) boss, has called on a crackdown of the predators, despite Huw Edwards escaping with a suspended sentence in September. The ex-BBC presenter, 63, paid £1,500 for images and videos he branded “amazing”, including one of a child aged between seven and nine.
A judge deemed Edwards, who is a father of five, “did not pose a risk to the public” and so suspended the six-month term. After which, one charity claimed the country is “in the grip of a hidden pandemic” of sexual abuse cases and exploitation of children online.
Now, Mr Biggar has supported calls for tougher punishments for those guilty of the sick crimes, like the making indecent images of children charge for which Edwards was sentenced. Mr Biggar said: “It is not just the viewing of images that is causing harm. This is creating a market for and sometimes directly encouraging people to sexually abuse and rape children and video themselves doing it. So it does need to be taken really seriously.”
Pressure is growing on the Government to review sentencing guidelines for those guilty of child sexual abuse charges. New staistics show 80 per cent of those convicted of possessing indecent images of children avoid prison.
Responding to this data, Mr Biggar told The Sun: “They get community or suspended sentences — that does not feel right to me. That issue has got a lot more publicity as a result of a particularly prominent BBC individual but it’s a longstanding challenge.” He said the NCA feels not enough is done to protect the public as it stands.
Jail sentences are often only handed out when the offender has also been convicted of more serious charges such as making contact with a minor. Yet, recent data from the NSPCC shows that online grooming crimes have reached record levels with 7,000 offences of sexual communication with a child recorded by police last year.
Estimates show that up to 830,000 UK adults — 1.6 per cent of the population — pose a threat to children. Last month Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the Government would be undertaking an independent sentencing review.
