Former BBC star Jon Sopel, who previously defended Huw Edwards, has now called Edwards’ crimes “absolutely abhorrent.” Sopel, who had a long career with the broadcaster before leaving in 2022, initially supported Edwards before the full extent of his criminal behaviour was revealed. In an interview with the Guardian, Sopel clarified that he and Edwards were not close friends, stating, “I’ve known Huw a long time, but we weren’t mates, hadn’t seen each other socially.” He explained that he defended Edwards based on incomplete information provided by the police at the time.
Edwards received a suspended six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children earlier this year. This conviction was not related to the allegations that Sopel had publicly spoken about previously. Sopel emphasised that he cannot defend Edwards’ criminal actions, stating, “I’m not going to defend anything that he’s done.” Sopel, who was the BBC’s North America editor until 2021, left the broadcaster to launch The News Agents podcast with Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall in 2022. He spoke to the Guardian while promoting his new book, “Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense.”
The revelation of Edwards’ criminal behaviour has sparked further discussion and condemnation of his actions within the industry. The impact of these revelations on Edwards’ reputation and future prospects remains to be seen, as colleagues and the public react to the seriousness of the charges against him.