BBC presenter scandal: Star allegedly broke COVID rules to meet 23-year-old - as another complainant reveals messages

A fresh set of claims has emerged about the BBC presenter accused of paying a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos, alleging he broke COVID lockdown rules to meet a 23-year-old.

In the latest allegations published by The Sun, the unnamed star is alleged to have travelled to the 23-year-old's home in February 2021 - while COVID restrictions prevented people from meeting anyone outside their household or bubble.

The newspaper said it had seen messages suggesting the presenter sent cash and asked for a picture - and was sent a semi-naked photo.

BBC presenter latest: Star faces new set of claims

The Sun also published messages the presenter allegedly sent to a 17-year-old after initiating a conversation on Instagram in October 2018.

The paper said the messages contained love heart emojis and kisses.

The youth, now aged 22, told The Sun "looking back now it does seem creepy because he was messaging me when I was still at school".

COVID rule-breaking allegations

The 23-year-old said they first met the presenter in November 2020 on a dating site and the TV personality travelled across London to another county to meet them at their flat in February 2021.

Days after Britain's third national COVID lockdown was announced on 15 January 2021, the presenter reportedly messaged the person on WhatsApp to say: "I've been as patient as I can. I'm not used to being turned down like this. Sorry."

On 18 February 2021, the star allegedly travelled on public transport from Paddington to Liverpool Street and then on a second train out of London to meet the 23-year-old.

The 23-year-old told The Sun: "He came round for an hour.

"I was quite shocked that he broke the rules to come and meet me because of who he is. I was just a random person online.

"We just chatted. He was obsessed with me making him a cup of tea."

The Sun claimed the presenter sent the person a "present" of £200 on the day of the visit. The paper said this was one of three payments made to a PayPal account, with the others being for £200 and £250.

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Second person claims they felt threatened

Earlier on Tuesday, a second person came forward with a complaint about the presenter.

The person told BBC News they felt threatened by the unnamed star.

The individual in their early 20s was first contacted anonymously by the male presenter on a dating app, according to the BBC.

They reportedly said they were put under pressure to meet up but never did.

When the person hinted online they might name the presenter, they were sent abusive, expletive-filled messages, the BBC said.

The broadcaster reported it had seen "a number of threatening messages" and had verified they had been sent from a phone number belonging to the presenter.

The complainant told the BBC they had been scared by the power the presenter held and the threats in the messages had frightened them.

BBC News said it had contacted the unnamed star via his lawyer but had received no response to the allegations.

The latest claims add further pressure on the BBC after it suspended the presenter over allegations published by The Sun newspaper that he paid a teenager for explicit images.

The original claims were made by the mother and stepfather of the young person, who is now aged 20.

However, a lawyer representing the young person branded the claims "rubbish" and insisted "nothing inappropriate" happened with the presenter.

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Police identified 'no criminality'

Earlier on Tuesday, the BBC admitted it did not put allegations about the first young person to the presenter until seven weeks after they were first raised.

Meanwhile, a police force said it was contacted by the parents of the teenager in April.

The force said "no criminality was identified" initially, however it has since met with the Metropolitan Police and the BBC.

A statement said: "As a result of recent developments, further inquiries are ongoing to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged "anyone who has been a victim in the nature of these allegations" to "come forward to ensure that they are supported and their claims looked into".

Jeremy Vine calls for presenter to come forward

After fresh claims emerged about the unnamed presenter on Tuesday, broadcaster Jeremy Vine tweeted: "I'm starting to think the BBC presenter involved in the scandal should now come forward publicly.

"These new allegations will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues of his.

"And the BBC, which I'm sure he loves, is on its knees with this. But it is his decision and his alone."

Vine was one of several BBC presenters who was forced to deny he was the unnamed star at the centre of the scandal.

On Tuesday, the BBC released its own timeline of events in how allegations about the first young person were dealt with.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it had asked the BBC to halt proceedings while officers assess whether a criminal act has been committed.