BBC presenter scandal: Young person’s mother stands by claims after lawyer brands allegations ‘rubbish’

The young person’s lawyer said the sex scandal between their client and the BBC host was “nothing inappropriate”

The controversy surrounding the sex scandal between a top BBC presenter and a young person has taken a new twist after a lawyer branded the allegations “rubbish” and insisted “nothing inappropriate” happened between the pair.

The young person’s mother quickly rebutted this, insisting she stands by her version, with the stepfather pitching in to express his disappointment that the young person made a statement through a lawyer.

In a letter to the BBC published on Monday (July 10), the lawyer representing the youth cast doubt on The Sun’s story about the male star, who has yet to be publicly identified, but is reportedly a “household name” with "a familiar face who is known to millions" and is also paid a six-figure salary by the corporation.

The letter added the young person sent a denial to the newspaper on Friday evening, before it published a ‘bombshell exclusive’ on the unidentified male presenter, saying there was “no truth in it”. However, the “inappropriate article” was still published, the lawyer said.

The legal letter said: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality.” It also called the parents’ allegations “totally wrong” and claimed there was “no truth” in them.

After the BBC published the letter, the young person’s mother told The Sun: “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 got into their head. How did they afford a lawyer? We are so sad.”

The young person’s stepfather added: “We are disappointed they made a statement. It’s not true.” The stepfather also claimed the BBC ‘ignored’ emails sent on May 19 which allegedly included bank statements showing payments made by the presenter.

He also said the BBC had lied when it said “new allegations” had led to the suspension of the presenter. The stepfather said the new claims were that the youngster was 17 when contact began.

Last week, the Sun newspaper published allegations that a BBC presenter had paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager in exchange for explicit photos. The broadcaster has said that a male presenter has been suspended while it conducts an investigation. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

The Sun, the newspaper that originally reported the allegations, claimed the man paid out more than £35,000 since the youth was 17. It is alleged the money went towards the young person sustaining a crack cocaine addiction, which the mother claimed had "destroyed" her child’s life.

The mum said she first made a complaint to the BBC on May 19, but was frustrated to see the presenter was “still on air” a month later. This resulted in her approaching the newspaper instead.

The Sun has published three front pages on the allegations: the first details the host allegedly paying the young person for sexualized pictures since they were 17 over the period of three years, the second describes the host ‘stripping down to his underwear’ during a video call, and the third details allegations the host made two ‘panicked calls’ to the young person, during which he is said to have demanded the mum stop the investigation against him.

Last week, the Sun newspaper published allegations that a BBC presenter had paid tens of thousands of pounds to a teenager in exchange for explicit photos. The broadcaster has said that a male presenter has been suspended while it conducts an investigation. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

In a statement on Sunday (July 9), the BBC said the presenter had been suspended, with the corporation receiving “new allegations of a different nature” in addition to their own investigations.

The age of consent is 16, but a person under the age of 18 is not an adult. The Protection of Children Act 1978  says they cannot consent to taking part in "indecent photographs". The Metropolitan Police is "assessing" information from the BBC over the allegations made against the presenter but has said there is currently no investigation.