BBC presenter sent abusive messages to second young person, broadcaster says

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

The new revelation came after the BBC sought to defend its handling of the growing scandal, after acknowledging that it did not flag the first complaint to senior management for seven weeks until a tabloid newspaper approached it about the story. Britain's leading broadcaster has been rocked by a report in the Sun newspaper that the presenter had paid a young person 35,000 pounds ($45,000) for explicit photos over three years, beginning when the person was 17. The presenter has been suspended but not named, angering other high-profile stars who have fallen under suspicion on social media.BBC News said on Tuesday it had been contacted by a second young person — unconnected to the first — who said they had been approached by the presenter on a dating app.

When the person, who never met the presenter, hinted online that they would reveal his identity, they were sent abusive, expletive-filled messages, the BBC said. BBC News said it had verified that the messages were sent from a phone belonging to the presenter. It said it had received no response to the latest allegations from either the presenter or his lawyer.

The scandal at the BBC has dominated national newspapers and television bulletins since it broke on Friday night, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak describing the allegations as «very serious and concerning». It took a further twist on Monday when the corporation said it had received a letter from a lawyer acting for the young person in the original case, to say the allegations were «rubbish». Police are examining the circumstances to establish whether there was evidence of a criminal offence.