The former BBC presenter Huw Edwards faces a possible prison sentence after admitting accessing indecent photographs of children as young as seven. Edwards, 62, who spent 40 years at the corporation, during which he was a fixture in its coverage of big political and royal events, pleaded guilty at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday to three charges of making indecent images of children after he was sent 41 illegal images by Alex Williams, a convicted paedophile. The court heard that Edwards had been involved in an online chat with an adult male, now known to be Williams, on WhatsApp between December 2020 and August 2021 who sent him 377 sexual images, including 41 indecent images of children, of which seven were category A (the worst), 12 category B and 22 category C. Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp chat with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences after an investigation by South Wales police, receiving a 12-month suspended sentence on 15 March. Edwards, who had been flanked by eight police officers on his arrival at the court, sat staring into the distance after admitting the charges, adjusting his tie as the prosecutor, Ian Hope, laid out the case against him. The guilty pleas represent a dramatic fall from grace for Edwards, who less than two years ago announced Queen Elizabeth II’s death on the BBC and presented coverage of her funeral before anchoring the broadcast of King Charles’s coronation last year. He took over election coverage from the long-serving David Dimbleby in 2019 and was the corporation’s highest-paid newsreader – with a pay bracket of £475,000 to £479,999 for the year 2023-24 for 160 presenting days – at the time of his resignation on medical grounds in April this year. His departure from the BBC followed his suspension by the broadcaster in July last year over allegations he received inappropriate images from a younger person and gave them money. The young person at the heart of the allegations described the claims as “rubbish” and blamed their parents for going public. Police found no evidence of criminal behaviour relating to the controversy, but on Monday the Metropolitan police revealed that Edwards had been charged relating to images shared on a WhatsApp chat. Of the category A images, the estimated ages of most of the children were between 13 and 15, but one was aged between seven and nine, the court was told. On 2 February 2021, Williams asked whether what he was sending was too young, in response to which Edwards told him not to send any underage images, the court heard. The final indecent image was sent in August 2021, a category A video featuring a young boy. Williams told Edwards that the boy was quite young-looking and that he had more images that were illegal but the former newsreader told him not to send any illegal images and his request was complied with, the court was told. No more were sent, and the pair continued to exchange legal pornographic images until April 2022. Police said an investigation into Edwards began after a phone seized by officers as part of an unrelated inquiry revealed the broadcaster’s participation in a WhatsApp conversation. Sentencing guidelines set the starting point for any jail term for possession of a category A image at 12 months, with a range of 26 weeks to three years. The starting point is 26 weeks for a category B image and a community order for category C. According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), making indecent images can have a wide definition in the law and can include receiving them via social media. Hope told the court that, where there was the prospect of rehabilitation, a community order and sexual offender treatment programme could be considered as alternatives to a custodial sentence and that a suspended sentence may be considered for Edwards. The court heard that aggravating features to be taken into account included that some of the content consisted of moving images and the young age of the child, thought to be seven to nine years old, in two of the category A images. Mitigating factors were said to be Edwards’ early guilty plea, his previous good character, his mental health problems and what Hope said was “genuine remorse”. Edwards’ barrister, Philip Evans KC, said his client “did not keep any images, did not send any to anyone else and did not and has not sought similar images from anywhere else”. He said Edwards had “mental and physical” health problems. In a statement, in which the BBC said it was “shocked” by Edwards’ “abhorrent behaviour” detailed in court, the corporation said it was told in November last year that Edwards had been arrested on suspicion of serious offences, which were not connected to the original complaint raised with the BBC. It added: “At the time, no charges had been brought against Mr Edwards and the BBC had also been made aware of significant risk to his health … If at any point during the period Mr Edwards was employed by the BBC he had been charged, the BBC had determined it would act immediately to dismiss him.” Claire Brinton, a specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Accessing indecent images of underage people perpetuates the sexual exploitation of children, which has deep, long-lasting trauma on these victims. “This prosecution sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the police, will work to bring to justice those who seek to exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.” Edwards will reappear at the same court on 16 September.