Neighbours living near paedophile who sold Huw Edwards child abuse images say both men should have...
Neighbours of Alex Williams, the paedophile who sold Huw Edwards child pornography said both men should have been locked up for their 'depraved' crimes.
Edwards, 63, was sentenced yesterday at Westminster Magistrates' Court having admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by Williams on WhatsApp .
The vile picture collection included seven category A images, the most serious classification, with two involving a child aged around seven to nine.
A mother-of-two young children, who lives close to where Williams lived at the time of his arrest, said: 'It's disgusting, they should both be behind bars.
'What they did, buying and selling pictures of innocent children is absolutely vile. Anything other than a prison sentence is wrong.'
Neighbours of Alex Williams, the paedophile who sold Huw Edwards child pornography said both men should have been locked up for their 'depraved' crimes
Edwards, 63, was sentenced yesterday at Westminster Magistrates' Court having admitted having 41 indecent images of children, which had been sent to him by a paedophile
Disgraced BBC News presenter Edwards was spared jail, receiving six months in prison suspended for two years- to the anger of many.
He sent more than £1,000 to Williams, who in turn sent him porn, some of which he called 'amazing'.
University graduate Williams, 25, was living with his mother and step-father at a housing association property in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, at the time of his arrest.
He later pleaded guilty to seven offences of possessing and distributing indecent offences but escaped with a 12-month suspended sentence.
Neighbours said they have not seen Williams at his mother's address since it was revealed he had sold child pornography to the BBC anchorman.
A second mother, who lives in the area, said: 'I knew Edwards would get off, they couldn't jail him if they didn't jail Williams for selling him the pictures. They are both as depraved as each other.
'What worries me is that they have been let off prison because they didn't find that many pictures compared to other paedophiles.'
Edwards told Williams 'go on' when asked if he wanted 'naughty pics and vids' of somebody described as young.
The former newsreader also wrote 'yes xxx' when he was asked by the convicted paedophile if he wanted sexual images of a person whose 'age could be discerned as being between 14 and 16'.
Westminster Magistrates' Court heard on Monday how Huw Edwards had replied 'yes xxx' when asked if he wanted a set of indecent images of children (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
It was also told that Edwards had told Williams that ages 'can be deceptive' when told one of the subjects in an image was 'quite yng looking', before asking if he had 'any more? (note: This is not the actual text message exchange)
Court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of former BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court
He was also sent two pornographic videos of a child aged between seven and nine-years-old.
Edwards, who resigned from the BBC in April, has been asked to repay the £200,000 salary he has received since his arrest .
He has so far refused and will also keep his pension.
BBC staff have described being 'warned' about 'thin-skinned' Edwards when they started working there - and said that he should be put in prison for what he has done.
MailOnline revealed there is great animosity towards him at the Beeb, who have been rocked by yet another child sex scandal after Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris.
One BBC staffer said: 'He still hasn't repaid his salary and dragged us through the mud again.
'Many at the BBC want him to pay for what he has done. He has played the system'.
A former colleague said: 'Huw had huge talent and presence but has always been very prickly and thin-skinned'.
And Zoe Lambourne, chief operating officer at child safety data institute Childlight, said the case is sadly far from unusual.
'We're in the grip of a hidden pandemic, with an estimated 1.8 million UK people involved in sexually abusing and exploiting children online,' she said.
'This public health emergency is too big for law enforcement to counter alone but crucially, it is preventable through joint action to ensure child safety is always paramount.'
The disgraced BBC News presenter made no comment as he walked into the modern courthouse
Edwards made his way through the media melee before being driven away in a black Mercedes when at court on July 31
Edwards was previously anchor of News at Ten and one of Britain's most prominent newsreaders
The NSPCC's Rani Govender added: 'Online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like Edwards who fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on victims.
'Companies must also act by putting technology in place that can identify and disrupt child abuse images being shared on their messaging services so victims can be safeguarded and offenders prosecuted.'
Lynn Perry, of children's charity Barnardo's, said: 'Tens of thousands of children are sexually exploited or groomed online every year.
'We urge tech companies to take action to make sure abuse material can't be shared on their platforms.
'When children are abused, and images of this are shared online, they must receive urgent, specialist support — something that is sadly unavailable to many children nationwide.'
Speaking to The Times about the difference in sentencing between Edwards and the rioters, Toby Young - the director of the Free Speech Union - said: 'It's hard not to conclude we have a two-tier criminal justice system in which Islamophobia is punished more severely than paedophilia.'