Huw Edwards is due to appear in court for sentencing hearing

Disgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards is set to return to court for a hearing where he could be sentenced on charges involving indecent images of children.

In July, the former TV news presenter admitted to having 41 such images in his possession, which had been sent to him on WhatsApp – some of which showed a victim aged seven to nine.

He will return to Westminster Magistrates Court in London at 10am BST on Monday.

He could be convicted at the hearing or the case could be sent to a higher court.

Possible sentences include up to three years in prison, or a community sentence provided he completes a sex offender treatment programme.

Until last year, Edwards was one of the main presenters of BBC One's News at Ten and often covered major national events.

At his last court appearance, he pleaded guilty to three counts of producing indecent images of children. Under the law, the images can be photos or video clips.

He was diagnosed with seven category A images – the most serious classification, which show serious abuse, including penetrative sexual activity.

Most of the Category A images showed children aged 13 to 15. Two clips showed a child aged around seven to nine.

He also had 12 category B photos, which concern non-penetrative sexual activity, and 22 category C photos, which cover other indecent images. The category B and C photos showed children aged between 12 and 15.

Police later revealed that the man who sent the images to Edwards was a 25-year-old convicted paedophile called Alex Williams.

Edwards' lawyer, Philip Evans KC, told the previous hearing that the former broadcaster had “not created, in the traditional sense, an image of any kind”.

He added that Edwards “did not retain any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not seek out or seek out similar images elsewhere.”

Mr Evans also said the former presenter had suffered health problems “both mental and physical”.

The lawyer told the court that his client “was not only of good character, but of exceptional character.”

At that hearing in July, Ian Hope, the prosecutor, told the court that a suspended sentence could be considered for Edwards.

Listing the potential penalties under the law, he said that where there was a prospect of rehabilitation, a community order and a sex offender treatment programme could be considered as alternatives to a prison sentence.

Edwards was the BBC's highest-paid journalist, receiving between £475,000 and £479,999 between April 2023 and April 2024.

The BBC has asked him to return the £200,000 he earned between his arrest last November and his resignation last April.

The BBC's director-general said last week that “discussions are ongoing” about whether the money could be recovered.

Making indecent images: what does the law say?

“Creating” indecent images can have a broad legal definition and cover much more than simply taking or filming the original photo or clip.

The Crown Prosecution Service says this can include:

• open an email attachment containing an image

• download an image from a website to a screen

• store an image on a computer

• access a pornographic website in which an image appears in an automatic “pop-up” window

• receive an image via social networks, even if it is not requested and even if it is part of a group

• or live images of children

A court must also decide whether an offence falls under possession, distribution or production.

According to the Sentencing Council, which issues sentencing guidelines for courts to follow unless it is in the interests of justice to do so, the creation of the original image is considered production – the most serious of the three categories. It adds that “the creation of an image by simple downloading should be considered possession for sentencing purposes.”

If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this story, The BBC Action Line has information on services that can provide support and advice.