Lawyer for young person at centre of BBC scandal says claims are 'rubbish' as parents double down on allegations
10 July 2023, 23:27 | Updated: 10 July 2023, 23:30
Parents at the centre of a BBC scandal linking an anonymous presenter to sexual pictures sent to a teenager have doubled down on their claims, as the young person's lawyer labelled the accusations 'rubbish'.
There is "no truth" in the allegations, the lawyer said in a letter written to the BBC.
The lawyer said: "For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in the Sun newspaper are rubbish."
It comes as the parents of the teenager at the centre of the scandal continue to assert they "stand by" the allegations, accusing the BBC of lying.
“I told the BBC I had gone to the police in desperation but they couldn’t do anything as they said it wasn’t illegal. They knew all of this," he is quoted as saying.
The step-father added the family had “put the allegations to them for an hour”.
The lawyer also alleged that the young person sent a denial to The Sun, which broke the story, on Friday, but said the publication decided to publish "their inappropriate article" anyway.
A spokesperson for the newspaper responded: "We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.
"Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC.
"We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It's now for the BBC to properly investigate."
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It comes after the Met Police said they were 'assessing' information amid the allegations but said no investigation had been opened.
A virtual meeting between BBC bosses and the Met Police took place earlier on Monday.
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A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command met with representatives from the BBC on the morning of Monday, 10 July.
"The meeting took place virtually."They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed.
"There is no investigation at this time."
Meanwhile, Downing Street has warned social media sites to ensure their platforms were "properly policed" following baseless accusations against various BBC personalities following the reports.
"Both the users of social media sites and the sites themselves have responsibility," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
People "should understand their responsibilities, and putting baseless accusations online can carry consequences".
The spokesman added: "We have been very clear with the sites themselves about their responsibilities on making sure these things are properly policed."
