The British Broadcasting Corporation has suspended a presenter who allegedly paid the equivalent of about $45,000 to a teenager for sexually explicit photos.
The family of the teen told The Sun, a British newspaper, that the presenter had been paying the young woman for images since she was 17, fueling her addiction to drugs.
The BBC said it has been in touch with police to establish the facts in the case. The presenter has not been named.
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The Sun reports that the presenter contacted the woman, who is now 20, after its first report was published, asking her to tell her family to “stop the investigation.”
The newspaper said the family first reported the allegations to the BBC in May, but the presenter remained on air during a company investigation. They spoke to The Sun, fearing the investigation was going nowhere.
The BBC was reportedly asked by police to pause its internal investigation while authorities conduct a criminal investigation.
The broadcaster has faced criticism within the country for not being forthcoming about its own investigation.
In response to the backlash, the BBC said, "There will, of course, be lessons to be learned following this exercise."
According to The Sun, the young woman has retained a lawyer and claimed that nothing unlawful or inappropriate has happened.
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