Man believed to be from Carmarthenshire claims meeting followed years of online contact and payments for sexual images

A MAN believed to be from Carmarthenshire who was paid tens of thousands of pounds for sexual images by former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has claimed the pair did meet in person and spent a night together at a Cardiff hotel.

The man, now aged 22, said he stayed overnight with the disgraced broadcaster at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff after Edwards allegedly threatened to stop sending him money.

The claims were made in an interview published by The Sun.

According to the report, Edwards had already paid the then-teenager at least £35,000 in exchange for sexual images before the meeting took place.

The man said the pair had been communicating online for around two years before they finally met.

He told the newspaper that he had been relying on the payments and felt pressured to meet Edwards.

“He said if I didn’t come he wouldn’t help me any more,” the man said.

Recalling the meeting, he said Edwards was waiting outside the hotel when he arrived.

The man said he felt extremely nervous when the pair went up to the room and struggled to speak.

He claimed Edwards tried to place a hand on his shoulder but he froze and said he eventually lay on the bed and pretended to sleep.

According to the account, Edwards left the following morning.

Both Edwards and the man involved are reported to have links to Carmarthenshire, although the individual has never been publicly identified.

The allegations come amid wider revelations about Edwards’ criminal case.

In September 2024, the former BBC presenter admitted three offences relating to indecent images of children and was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Court proceedings previously heard that Edwards had been sent dozens of illegal images by a 41-year-old man named Alex Williams.

The images included some of the most serious category of abuse material involving young children.

It has since been reported that Williams helped connect Edwards with the teenager through a dating app.

According to the interview, the man was first contacted by Williams in 2020 when he was 17.

He later began communicating directly with Edwards, who allegedly sent him £500 within minutes of their first conversation before moving the discussion to WhatsApp.

Over the following three years Edwards is said to have paid him tens of thousands of pounds while requesting explicit material during video calls.

The claims add further detail to the scandal that brought down one of Britain’s most recognisable television news presenters, who for many years fronted the BBC’s flagship news bulletins before leaving the corporation following the investigation and subsequent criminal case.

STAFF at OC Davies used pedal power to cycle an incredible 453 miles as part of a fundraising event marking two major anniversaries.

The Cardigan-based dealership is celebrating 40 years as a Renault dealer in 2026, while the Wales Air Ambulance marked its 25th anniversary on St David’s Day (Mar 1).

To celebrate the milestones – and the launch of the new vehicle registration plate – the dealership held a community open day at its Cardigan site, raising £2,102 for the lifesaving charity.

As part of the event, staff and supporters took on a spin bike challenge to cycle the equivalent of 104 miles – the distance between OC Davies’ three dealerships in Cardigan, Neyland and Carmarthen.

However, the participants far exceeded expectations.

During the 12-hour challenge, which ran from 8:00am to 8:00pm, a total of 37 people took part and collectively cycled an impressive 453 miles.

Over the years, OC Davies has now raised more than £6,600 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.

Nicola Lewis from OC Davies said: “We are incredibly proud to have raised £2,102. This fantastic amount exceeded all our expectations and shows just how supportive our community has been.

“The success of the event has inspired us to keep the momentum going and continue raising money for Wales Air Ambulance throughout the rest of the year.

“We currently have an Easter egg lucky dip running in the dealership and we’re also planning to raise further funds later in the summer at some outdoor events we’ll be taking part in.”

More than 200 visitors attended the open day and around 900 tickets were sold for a grand raffle.

Prizes were donated by local businesses including The Cliff Hotel & Spa, Tom Samways Butchers, U Melt Me, Tonnau, Theatr Mwldan, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, and The Queen’s Hall.

Additional prizes were also donated by the Scarlets and Swansea City FC.

Nicola added: “The open day was wonderfully supported by local businesses and members of the community, which helped make the event so special.

“We were overwhelmed by the generosity and support from businesses in Cardigan and beyond who kindly donated prizes for our grand raffle.”

The spin bikes used during the challenge were loaned by Neil Fulstow Fitness Coaching, with additional support from Clive Evans and Clive Davies.

The charity’s mascot Biggles also made an appearance during the day – even taking a turn on the DJ decks.

Emily Bell, Wales Air Ambulance’s Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator, said: “A huge congratulations to the staff at OC Davies, who smashed their original target while raising an incredible amount for our charity.

“It was a lovely open day which I was delighted to attend. OC Davies found a wonderful way to mark both anniversaries.

“Wales Air Ambulance needs to raise £13 million every year to keep our helicopters flying and our rapid response vehicles on the road. Fundraisers like this help ensure we can continue to be there for the people of Wales when they need us most.”

Wales Air Ambulance is a consultant-led service delivering hospital-standard treatment at the scene of an incident.

Through its partnership with the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS), NHS consultants and critical care practitioners can provide advanced treatment including anaesthesia, blood transfusions and minor surgical procedures before transporting patients to the most appropriate hospital.

As a pan-Wales service, its crews travel across the country to deliver lifesaving emergency care wherever it is needed.

For more information visit www.ocdavies.com.

STUDENTS from Ysgol Greenhill in Tenby have taken part in the FIRST Tech Challenge UK & Ireland competition, showcasing their engineering and computing skills at a national robotics event.

The Tenby Techno Team travelled to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s School of Applied Computingwhere teams from across the UK and Ireland gathered to compete in the international robotics programme.

The competition challenges students to design, build and programme robots capable of completing tasks on a specialist arena, testing both technical ability and teamwork.

The Tenby team said they were proud to be competing and were supported during the event by former computing students Issac, Ieuan and Finley, who returned to help the team as volunteers.

Organisers of the programme say the FIRST Tech Challenge aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while building practical problem-solving skills.

The team also thanked Valero Pembroke Refinery and Tenby Round Table for sponsoring the project, along with Marc Ingram, who provided advice and guidance during the build and preparation stages.

More updates from the competition are expected as the event progresses.