THE BBC has come under fire after one of its presenters was suspended for allegedly paying a youngster for sexual pictures.
The well-known presenter is accused of giving the troubled teen more than £35,000 since they were 17.
The alleged recipient’s mother said they had used the cash to fund a crack habit.
Since our story was published the star has now been suspended by the BBC while they launch an urgent investigation.
Here's everything you need to know about the star - who is now the focus of a BBC investigation.
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Who is the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexual pictures?
The BBC star has not been named, but he is a familiar face who is known to millions.
On Saturday night the presenter was off air while the BBC investigated the mother’s bombshell claims.
She said: "When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this BBC man for destroying my child’s life.
"Taking my child’s innocence and handing over the money for crack cocaine that could kill my child."
The family complained to the BBC about his behaviour on May 19 and begged them to make the man “stop sending the cash”.
They had discovered that their teen has been using the money to fund their spiralling addiction to crack cocaine.
The furious mother told how her teen had gone from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years.
They approached The Sun, making it clear they wanted no payment.
The mother said: “All I want is for this man to stop paying my child for sexual pictures and stop him funding my child’s drug habit.”
She told how her child, now 20, had shown her an online bank statement that had numerous deposits from the star.
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Holding back tears, she added: “There were huge sums, hundreds, or thousands of pounds at a time.
“One time he had sent £5,000 in one lump. The money had been in exchange for sexually explicit photographs of my child.”
And in a further development, the parents of the youngster spoke out after lawyers for their child claimed nothing inappropriate or unlawful had happened with the star.
They said they stood by their statements and insisted "we spoke out to protect our child".
The youngster's stepdad also revealed he told Beeb bosses they had screenshots of contact between their child and the star.
He said: “We put the allegations to them for an hour.”
But the presenter remained on air and was not even spoken to until The Sun contacted the BBC last week.
Latest on BBC sex probe:
- BBC star who 'paid teen for sex pics' could face years in prison
- Teen's mum claims star stripped to his pants for call
- 8 questions BBC refused to answer about star taken off air
- Star 'partied with BBC bosses AFTER complaint made'
- Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark & Jeremy Vine all deny being the star
- The presenter allegedly gave the teen £35k for sordid images
- Mum blames BBC man for giving money for drugs to her teen
- Piers Morgan blasts 'ridiculous' BBC coverage
- BBC 'is getting calls from MORE members of public about the behaviour of the presenter'
- A cop who exposed paedophile BBC star Jimmy Savile said the broadcaster MUST name the presenter
The stepfather accused the BBC of lying after it said “new allegations” emerged, leading to the star’s suspension on Sunday.
The stepdad said he was told the new claims were the youngster was 17 when contact began with the presenter.
He fumed: “They’re not telling the truth. I told them the youngster was 20 and it had been going on for three years.”
He added: “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 also said the money did not stop, adding: “I don’t even think they spoke to him.”
The BBC say they did call the family in June, but nobody picked up.
Who has denied claims they are the BBC presenter?
Gary Lineker, Rylan Clark and Jeremy Vine have denied they're the BBC star.
Lineker - who fronts the BBC's Match of the Day - tonight hit out at the social media allegations.
He wrote: "Hate to disappoint the haters but it’s not me."
It came after Rylan, 34, who co-hosts the Beeb’s Eurovision coverage and is filming a travelogue for the Corporation, responded on Twitter.
The former X Factor contestant shared a meme of Oscar-slap actor Will Smith and wrote: "Not sure why my name’s floating about but re that story in The Sun – that ain’t me babe.
"I’m currently filming a show in Italy for the BBC, so take my name out ya mouths."
Vine, 58, who hosts a news programme on Radio 2, tweeted: "Just to say I’m very much looking forward to hosting my radio show on Monday.
"Whoever the 'BBC presenter' in the news is, I have the same message for you as Rylan did earlier: it certainly ain’t me."
The cop who exposed paedophile BBC star Jimmy Savile also called for the broadcaster to name the presenter.
Former Surrey Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas said that the public need to know who the presenter is.
He told the Mirror: "It’s the same failed process as Savile, yet again.
"The BBC has already had a month to look into this – they should have concluded their investigation by now and named the individual in question.
"It’s all about openness and transparency, but the BBC has got a track record of carrying out fatally flawed investigations."
It comes as Piers Morgan blasted BBC for its "ridiculous" coverage of the presenter.
What is the BBC star accused of?
The unnamed top BBC star is off air while allegations he paid the teenager for sexual pictures are investigated.
Sleazy messages are alleged to have started in 2020, when the youngster was 17.
The family say the BBC presenter never hid his identity and even sent pictures of himself at work.
She said she was told the star requested “performances” and, heartbreakingly, her teen said they would “get their bits out”.
On Sunday the mum claimed the panicked presenter called the youngster twice after The Sun published the allegations.
The presenter apparently rang last week asking: “What have you done?”
It is claimed he also asked the youngster to ring their mum to get her to “stop the investigation”.
On Sunday the star was suspended by BBC, after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer sat down with the BBC boss Tim Davie.
Davie said he was taking the allegations "incredibly seriously".
The BBC put out a statement following the suspension.
It read: "The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
“This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps.
“It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care.
“We have been clear that if - at any point - new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.
“The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols.
“We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended.
“We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues. The BBC Board will continue to be kept up to date.”
The BBC is also allegedly getting calls from MORE members of the public about the accused presenter.
A Beeb source has told The Sun on Sunday: “The BBC has started to receive calls from the public about the behaviour of the person at the centre of the investigation.”
