Disgraced former BBC presenter Huw Edwards sexually assaulted a man in the toilets of Ivy Members Club in London, it has been claimed.
The 62-year-old veteran anchor has been hit with another accusation after he was arrested in November – and later pleaded guilty – for receiving photos including seven category A images on his phone from paedophile Alex Williams, which included sexual content of children under the age of nine.
Now a 27-year-old has alleged in an interview with MailOnline that Edwards sexually assaulted him in 2022 after they exchanged Instagram and then WhatsApp messages – seen by the publication – in which Edwards warned the unnamed man he was ‘getting assaulted in the Ivy’ later that evening.
The man alleged in the interview: ‘Huw followed me into the toilets of the Ivy Club where we were eating and while I was standing at the urinals, he grabbed my penis and attempted to masturbate me.
‘I backed away. I was very shocked because this was not in a cubicle, it was in the open urinals area.
‘Anybody could have walked in. I asked him: “What are you doing? Please stop.” But he just kept on saying: “I like the danger of getting caught.” And then he said: “I love you.”
He went on: ‘One of the most shocking things was how brazenly aggressive he was. I think he got off on the fact that he was a powerful figure and that he could get away with grabbing me in the toilets like that.’
Father-of-five Huw – who was one of the most revered broadcasters in the UK having announced Queen Elizabeth II’s death and been the face of many huge moments – was said to have befriended the man on Instagram in 2021, and before their second lunch date appeared to text him: ‘You are getting assaulted in the Ivy… I’m so f****** horny it’s indecent.’
The man told the publication – who also claim to have seen sexual images and messages sent by Edwards – that he still agreed to meet the presenter because he was in awe of the BBC star.
The unnamed man said when he heard the news Edwards had pleaded guilty to possessing sexually abusive images of children he ‘felt physically sick’ and ‘ashamed to have ever met him’.
Prior to the alleged toilet assault, the man claims Edwards was overly touchy feely with him and he kept on having to ‘fight him off’ as they ate lunch.
He said it was ’embarrassing’ because everyone was ‘looking over’ at Edwards, being such a famous face.
‘I kept on asking him: “What are you doing?” And he would reply: “I like the danger of getting caught.” His tone was playful, but it was also quite aggressive,’ recalled the man.
They first met in May 2021, but after the toilet incident when they returned to the table ‘as if nothing had happened’ the man decided to cut contact with Edwards.
The man recalled that before meeting Edwards was flirty over text, and he himself was taken by his ‘false charm’ and quite ‘fancied him’ up until they met for two dates, the first of which ended amicably before their Ivy lunch.
Last month, the veteran broadcaster admitted having 41 child sex abuse images on WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.
In court, Edwards pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and April 2021.
The child abuse materials that were sent to Edwards by 25-year-old convicted paedophile Williams included seven category A, the worst, 12 category B, and 22 category C.
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Of the category A images, the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told.
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