Accuser claims BBC star in 'sex pics scandal' broke lockdown rules

BBC presenter in ‘£35,000 sex pics scandal’ is now accused of ‘breaking lockdown rules to meet stranger from dating site’ as THIRD person comes forward to make claims about under-fire star

  • The presenter met with a dating app user in February 2021, The Sun reports
  • It comes after allegations relating to his behaviour with two other young people 

The BBC star at the centre of a sex pictures row allegedly broke Covid rules to meet a young stranger from a dating site, it has been claimed.

The unnamed presenter, who has been engulfed in scandal amid claims he paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photographs, is accused of defying the third national lockdown for an encounter with a different person in 2021.

The star, who is a household name, is alleged to have broken strict Covid rules while the BBC was at the same time telling millions of people to follow them as part of its coverage of the pandemic.

The unnamed presenter , who also faces accusations that he sent menacing and abusive messages to a different person who he met on a dating app, met up with the stranger after months of interactions, The Sun reports.

The stranger, who is 23, claims the presenter travelled into a different county to meet them at their flat in February 2021 when rules included a stay at home order and mixing only between household bubbles.

The unnamed BBC presenter allegedly met a stranger from a dating site in February 2021. Pictured: BBC New Broadcasting House in London

It’s claimed the BBC star broke lockdown rules to take part in the meeting at a 23-year-old’s flat. Pictured: A sign urging people to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ in London

The person claimed at the meeting, which came months after they started talking on the dating site in November 2020, ‘he came round for an hour…. We just chatted. He was obsessed with me making him a cup of tea.’

In an interview with the newspaper, the person claims they met on account that didn’t have a picture of the presenter but he ‘put two and two together’ when the BBC star told him his name and what he did for a living.

They said that the host was eager to meet face-to-face, and was asking to do this even when the restrictions ‘kept getting stricter’ as the pandemic continued.

However, when they turned down chances to meet the BBC presenter, he allegedly sent ‘a barrage of messages’ saying he ‘felt unwanted’.

The 23-year-old claims that when they did meet he ‘came round for an hour’. 

They told The Sun: ‘I was quite shocked that he broke the rules to come and meet me because of who he is. I was just a random person online.

‘We just chatted. He was obsessed with me making him a cup of tea.’

The newspaper claims to have a sworn statement from the dating site user claiming he received three payments totalling £650 from the presenter sent by PayPal. 

They added that they began to feel ‘used’ and ‘uncomfortable’ by the TV star’s behaviour and demanding messages.

The Sun said it had contacted the BBC and the presenter in question over the claims. 

Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, revealed today he has not spoken with the presenter at the centre of the scandal. Pictured: Mr Davie at a service celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NHS at Westminster Abbey

It comes after allegations the presenter had sent abusive and menacing messages to a different person in their 20s after meeting them on a dating app.

HOW BBC PRESENTER ‘SEX PICS’ SCANDAL CAME TO LIGHT

2020: The BBC presenter allegedly began requesting sexually explicit photographs from the teenager.

May 19: Alleged victim’s family complained to the BBC, asking for the presenter to be told to stop sending their child money.

June: The accused host allegedly attended a party alongside BBC senior executives. 

July 7: The BBC star was said to have been taken off air – but has not been suspended.

The alleged victim’s family details the accusations in a newspaper interview, claiming the presenter paid for the explicit photographs for three years. 

The alleged victim’s mother also claimed the teenager used the cash to fund their spiralling drug habit. 

July 8: It is revealed the presenter could face a police probe over potential crimes which carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence

Several major BBC stars – including Rylan Clark, Jeremy Vine and Gary Lineker – confirm they are not the man behind the scandal.

July 9: Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer holds ‘urgent talks’ with BBC boss Tim Davie.

BBC suspends the male staff member whom allegations were made against. 

Director-general Tim Davie sends an internal email to staff reiterating that the BBC is taking the allegations ‘incredibly seriously’.

It is understood that the BBC has been in contact with police. 

July 10: Representatives from the BBC meet with the Metropolitan Police.

In a letter reported by BBC News At Six, the young person said via a lawyer: ‘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’.’

The legal representative also said the young person told The Sun on Friday evening before the newspaper published the story that there was ‘no truth to it’, the BBC reported.

The mother and stepfather of the young person stood by their allegation, and questioned how their child could afford the lawyer, The Sun reported.

The newspaper alleged that the mother said: ‘It is sad but we stand by our account and we hope they get the help they need.

‘We did this to help – and the presenter has got into their head. How did they afford a lawyer?’

They claim they were put under pressure to meet with the star but never did, the BBC reported. 

When they hinted online that they might name them, they allege they were sent abusive messages that were filled with expletives.

The new claims raise further questions about the star’s conduct less than a week after The Sun newspaper reported allegations that he paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit pictures, starting when they were 17. 

BBC Director General Tim Davie today denied it is ‘odd’ that he is yet to speak to the star. 

According to the BBC, the conversation between the person in their 20s and the presenter moved onto other platforms after beginning on a dating app. 

The presenter then revealed his identity and asked the young person not to tell anyone.

The young person later posted online alluding to having had contact with a BBC presenter and hinting they might name him.

The presenter then sent a number of ‘threatening messages’ which the BBC says it has seen and confirmed came from a phone number belonging to the presenter.

The BBC said the young person felt ‘threatened’ by the messages and ‘remain scared’.

BBC News said it had contacted the presenter via his lawyer but had received no response to the allegations.

Earlier today, Mr Davie also suggested the privacy of the star was a consideration in why the corporation did not speak to the household name until almost two months after they first received a complaint from the teenager’s family.

He defended the seven-week delay between the initial complaint and confronting the presenter, insisting that the claims had to be verified first before being put to staff. 

But he admitted it was ‘fair’ to question why the ‘very serious’ complaint was only followed up by a single call and email to the teenager’s parents.

Asked if it was ‘odd’ that that he himself has not chatted to the presenter, Davie replied: ‘No’, adding: ‘I think it is critical they are spoken to by a very senior manager’. 

He was also asked if he knew ‘categorically’ whether or not the star paid for the alleged victim’s lawyer. 

He said: ‘That’s not information I am party to. I don’t even think that’s something for the BBC.’

But he did admit that the scandal had been ‘clearly damaging’ to the corporation’s reputation.

‘The BBC is often in the midst of quite painful and difficult affairs and storms,’ he said before adding: ‘These are clearly damaging to the BBC it, is not a good situation.’

In a major update on the case, Mr Davie also said he had ‘paused’ their internal investigation while the police consider if any crimes have been committed after a meeting with Scotland Yard yesterday.

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