THE top BBC star accused of paying a teen for sexual pictures has today been suspended.
The well-known man allegedly gave a youngster more than £35,000 for sordid images in a scandal that has rocked the national broadcaster.
The Sun exclusively revealed that the presenter was taken off air - and that the child's mum saw images of him sitting on his sofa in his underpants.
The BBC this afternoon confirmed the man has now been suspended as a result, and that it has been in touch with the police.
It said in a statement: “The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations.
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“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.”
It comes after Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer sat down with BBC boss Tim Davie and said she was promised the firm was "investigating swiftly".
Davie later sent an email to staff saying he was taking the allegations "incredibly seriously".
He wrote: "By law, individuals are entitled to a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is making this situation more complex.
"I also want to be very clear that I am wholly condemning the unsubstantiated rumours being made on the internet about some of our presenting talent.
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"We are in contact with the family referenced in the media reports. I want to assure you that we are working rapidly to establish the facts and to ensure that these matters are handled fairly and with care, including by external authorities where appropriate."
The mother who claims the BBC star paid her child for sexual pictures told of how she was stunned to see a phone image of the presenter in his boxer shorts.
She recalled to The Sun: “I loved watching him on TV.
“So I was shocked to see a picture of him sitting on a sofa in his house in his underwear.
“I immediately recognised him.
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“He was leaning forward getting ready for my child to perform for him.
“My child told me, ‘I have shown things’ and this was a picture from some kind of video call.”
The presenter is believed to still being paid his full six-figure salary.
In an interview with The Sun on Sunday, the mother said the family complained in May but became frustrated that the star was still on air a month later.
She said in June her child told her they had received a payment of £1,000 — allegedly transferred by PayPal.
She went on: “My child said they had run out of money and then suddenly had this cash.
“It’s obvious to me the BBC hadn’t spoken to this man between our complaint on May 19 and in June as they thought he was too important.
“We never wanted an investigation.
“We just wanted the BBC to tell him to stop.
“Initially the security boss gave us a number that didn’t exist.”
She added of the presenter: “Earlier this year I heard him on the phone saying to my child, ‘I told you not to f***ing ring me’.
“It was shocking as I’d see how he would act on the telly and then he would say stuff like that.”
Earlier the mother heartbreakingly told how the teenager, now 20, used the man’s alleged funds to feed a “spiralling” drug addiction.