Major twist in BBC presenter scandal
A damning scandal surrounding a high-profile BBC presenter has grown after a second victim has come forward against the anonymous personality.
Just days after an exclusive report from The Sun claimed a well-known presenter for the public broadcaster had paid a teenager for explicit images, another woman has now claimed she was contacted online by the star.
She said the presenter sent “abusive and menacing” messages online, and “felt threatened” when she refused to meet up with the presenter in person.
They recognised the presenter after connecting on a dating app and, the BBC reported, “hinted they might name” them which led to a number of “abusive expletive filled messages”.
“The young person said they had been scared by the power the presenter held,” BBC News reported.
“They said the threats made in the messages … had frightened them, and they remain scared.”
The person, in their early twenties, has no connection to the first person who came forward with the allegations.
The presenter, who has yet to be named, has not commented on the allegations.
These new allegations come just days after the first victim's family came forward and accused the anonymous presenter for sending their teenager a total of £35,000 ($67,000AUD) for explicit pictures over a three year period.
The correspondence with the presenter allegedly began when the first person was just 17 years old, with the mother of the person, now in their twenties, saying the money was funding a dangerous drug habit.
The mother said of the BBC presenter, “When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.”
In a statement on Sunday, the BBC confirmed that it "first became aware of a complaint in May".
"New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols," it added.
The statement said that "a male member of staff has been suspended".
"This is a complex and fast moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps," the BBC added.
London's Metropolitan Police released a statement later on Sunday confirming the BBC contacted it over the matter, "but no formal referral or allegation has been made".
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