Huw Edwards' crimes 'absolutely abhorrent' by former BBC pal in scathing rant

Jon Sopal worked with Huw Edwards for many years at the BBC (Image: Getty)

Jon Sopel has blasted Huw Edwards' actions as "absolutely abhorrent," insisting they "were never really mates."

Edwards was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, last month after admitting to charges of making indecent images of children.

Sopel, who had initially stood by Edwards when allegations first surfaced, has now condemned his actions, calling them "absolutely abhorrent."

Despite their long professional history, Sopel has recently clarified in an interview with The Guardian: “I’ve known Huw a long time, but we weren’t mates, [we] hadn’t seen each other socially.”

Sopel explained his initial reaction when the police first investigated Edwards. He went on: “At the time, the police came out and said there was nothing to it.

Huw Edwards was handed a six month prison sentence which was suspended for two years (Image: Getty)

"I thought, if there’s nothing to it and he sent a couple of inappropriate texts, he’s just got a complicated private life.”

However, Sopel now acknowledges how wrong that assumption was, adding: “You do what you do for the right reasons. I’m not going to defend anything that he’s done. It’s absolutely abhorrent.”

Last year, Edwards was publicly named by his wife Vicky Flind, as the BBC presenter accused of making payments for sexually explicit images.

In response to that revelation at the time, Sopel commented, “This is an awful and shocking episode, where there was no criminality, but perhaps a complicated private life.

Jon has slammed the disgraced star for his 'abhorrent' crimes (Image: Getty)

"That doesn’t feel very private now. I hope that will give some cause to reflect. They really need to. I wish @thehuwedwards⁩ well.”

Sopel, who had worked alongside Edwards for decades before leaving the BBC last year, also shared that he had been in contact with Edwards before he was admitted to hospital for “serious mental health issues.”

He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We’ve had contact, obviously not since he’s been hospitalised. He was very angry, I think, felt very let down by what happened in The Sun, furious with their coverage, not overly impressed with the BBC’s coverage either.”

Having served as the BBC’s North America editor until 2021 and departing the corporation in 2022, Sopel now co-hosts The News Agents podcast alongside Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall.

His recent comments come as he promotes his latest book, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense.