Latest news as colleagues call on presenter to name himself to halt ‘reputational damage’

The BBC is facing increased pressure after fresh claims emerged on The Sun’s front page on Wednesday, reporting that a 23-year-old person has claimed the BBC presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them during the pandemic in February 2021.

Separately, BBC News reported on Tuesday that a person in their early 20s has alleged that they were sent threatening messages by the unnamed man. They appear to be separate to a young person who The Sun claims was paid around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for sexually explicit images by the presenter.

Jeremy Vine, who has publicly stated he is not the presenter in question, said on Twitter he is beginning to believe the unnamed man “should now come forward publicly” because the new allegations “will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues”.

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