BBC investigating claims ‘well-known’ presenter paid teenager for explicit pictures

The BBC is investigating claims a “well-known” presenter paid a teenager thousands of pounds for explicit pictures.

The unnamed star has been accused of paying the youngster more than £35,000 in exchange for sexual images.

The teen’s parent says they complained to the BBC on 19 May and approached The Sun newspaper after the star continued to appear on TV.

The mother says her child, now aged 20, has become addicted to crack cocaine and accused the BBC star of funding their habit.

“I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life, taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child,” she said.

“Whenever I see him on telly, I feel sick.”

Neither the teen nor the BBC star has been identified.

In response to The Sun’s report, a BBC spokesperson said: “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.”