BBC didn't speak to presenter until SEVEN WEEKS after sex pic allegations were made
Tim Davie said that the BBC 'always take these matters seriously'
PA
The BBC failed to speak to the presenter at the centre of the scandal engulfing the corporation until seven weeks after a complaint was made, it has emerged.
A timeline of events published by the national broadcaster showed that the BBC's Corporate Investigations Team did not speak to the senior employee about the sex claims until July 6.
A complaint against a presenter was first made on May 18, when a member of the alleged victim's family visited a BBC building to express their concerns.
The next day it was deemed that the information provided did not include an allegation of criminality but that an investigation should be carried out regardless.
Though speculation has reached a fever pitch on social media, Davie might have felt less pressure to identity the BBC presenter with the Sun seemingly on the back foot.
PABut despite the decision by the Corporate Investigations Team, the presenter was only contacted when The Sun newspaper informed the BBC that it was publishing a story about the allegations.
The Sun published claims from the parents of the teenager who said the youngster had had been paid £35,000 over a three year period for sexually explicit pictures and that the contact had begun when they were just 17-years-old.
The young person at the centre of the controversy has said nothing inappropriate or unlawful happened with the unnamed presenter.
The BBC said that it had relaunched its investigation after fresh details were published by The Sun.
It added it had been asked to pause its probe by the Met Police following a meeting with the Metropolitan Police.
In a statement released today, director-general Tim Davie said: “It’s important to give you an update on the latest developments.
BBC SCANDAL LATEST:
Tim Davie with Rishi SunakPA“This is clearly a complex and difficult situation where we need to manage a number of factors – properly responding to serious allegations, sensitively managing duty of care issues, appropriately respecting the privacy of individuals and justified public interest.
“We do believe we are navigating these responsibly and judicially but we recognise it’s not easy to do so.
“As you know, the BBC Corporate Investigations Team had a meeting with the police in relation to the information provided to the BBC by the Sun newspaper on Thursday July 6.
“As a result of this the BBC has been asked to pause its own investigation into the allegations while they scope future work. We will pass any material that we have to them.
“We know that questions have been asked how this case was initially managed and the timeline of events, so today we have published an update that sets out key dates and further detail.
“The BBC has processes and protocols for receiving information and managing allegations when they are made.
“We always take these matters seriously and seek to manage them with care.
“The events of recent days have shown how complex and challenging these kinds of cases can be and how vital it is they are handled with the upmost diligence.
“That is why it is important that we ensure these processes are robust and working appropriately.
“Of course there will be lessons to be learnt, and how processes could be improved.
“Immediately I have asked that we assess how some complaints are red flagged up the organisation.
“We will take time to properly review the current protocols and procedures to ensure they remain sufficient based on anything we learn from this case.
“This work will be led by our chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva who will report to the BBC board.”
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