Claims of “cover-up” as BBC kept presenter after alleged attack that left woman hospitalised

03 May 2026 , 11:42

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Claims of “cover-up” as BBC kept presenter after alleged attack that left woman hospitalised

A ‘violent’ BBC presenter reportedly broke his female colleague’s wrist in a physical altercation.

The corporation is being accused of ‘covering up’ the alleged attack, with the presenter in question continuing to work for the broadcaster for several years afterwards.

The assault, which required the woman to go to the hospital, is believed to have occurred around 2014. 

BBC bosses are understood to have questioned the presenter on a number of occasions to discuss his alleged behavior.

He is also understood to have been arrested over an unrelated incident during his tenure at the channel and released without charge. 

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BBC management reportedly chose not to fire him and, instead, went on to give him what they believed were ‘undesirable’ shifts in the hope he would decide to leave, the Mail on Sunday reports.

A source told the publication: ‘He had taken her by the wrists, crossed them over one another, and then threw her to the floor.

‘A doctor’s report was filed but nobody did anything about it. It was a cover-up from the BBC.’

The source added: ‘The BBC could see where it was all going, but they hoped he would leave of his own accord.

‘It was hardly decisive action. He ended up staying for years. The BBC was his shield because it gave him credibility.’

What has the reaction been?

A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘While we do not comment on individual employment matters, the BBC has robust processes in place to uphold our standards.’

They confirmed the male employee at the center of the allegations had left the BBC.

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The allegations come after two high-profile scandals for the corporation.

Last month, the BBC was criticized after it admitted it knew police had investigated former Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills for alleged sexual offenses in 2017.

The broadcaster took no action against Mills after police decided there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case and he was neither arrested nor charged with any offense. Disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards resigned from the BBC in April 2024 and later pleaded guilty to criminal charges involving indecent images of children and was sentenced in September 2024 to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

James Turner

Crime & Courts Correspondent