London, Thanasis Gavos

New allegations against the BBC presenter accused of paying a minor in exchange for nude photos are published by the Sun.

The newspaper reports the complaint of a 23-year-old person that in February 2021, amid a ban on gatherings outside the household due to a pandemic, the presenter in question traveled by train outside of London to go to the apartment of the complaining person. The two had met through a dating website.

The Sun writes that it has seen messages showing that the presenter did indeed visit the apartment, but also that he sent money to the young man asking for a photo in return. Also that she actually received a photo in a semi-nude pose.

The same newspaper also reveals a complaint by another person, aged 22 today, who says that at the age of 17, in October 2018, he received inappropriate messages from the presenter with hearts and kiss emojis. Excerpts from these messages are even published by the newspaper.

They had met through Instagram. The young woman tells the newspaper that in retrospect she realizes that it was “creepy” to receive such messages while she was still in school.

The original complaint revealed by the Sun came from the parents of a 17-year-old child who, three years ago, allegedly received £35,000 from the presenter in exchange for indecent photographs.

A second complaint followed, via BBC News, from another young person who had met the presenter through a dating app about him sending threatening and abusive messages.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Vine has become the first BBC big name to call on the yet-to-be-named presenter to come forward as the case has brought the BBC to its knees.