Elon Musk has accused Britain of having “misplaced priorities” after disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards was spared jail time for child sex offences.
The SpaceX founder retweeted a post which slammed the former BBC anchor’s suspended sentence as “unbelievable”.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Edwards was sentenced to six months suspended for two years after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children.
Many have slammed the decision not to give him any jail time, stating that it gives the impression that sex crimes against children are not taken seriously enough.
Some have flagged the recent arrests and sentencing of those in the UK for inflammatory posts made online, with some individuals receiving far heftier sentences than Edwards’.
Musk shared a post made by freelance Swedish journalist Peter Imanuelsen, which said: “UNBELIEVABLE. A BBC presenter just AVOIDED jail time for buying ped*phile images.
“Meanwhile Britain sent a man to 38 months prison for a satirical post on X about the riots. WHAT’S HAPPENING???”
The billionaire waded in on the sentencing, commenting that there were “misplaced priorities” in the British judiciary system.
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Imanuelsen’s post appears to be a reference to Tyler Kay, who was jailed for 38 months after he stirred up racial hatred by calling for people online to set hotels housing migrants on fire.
Musk’s comments come just weeks after he waded in on the UK riots over the summer, following the death of three young girls in Southport.
He rowed with the Prime Minister over the billionaire’s comments that the UK was on the brink of a “civil war”, and even used the hashtag #TwoTierKeir to scold the PM for treating right-wing protesters more harshly than left-wing demonstrators.
Between December 2020 and August 2021, the disgraced BBC News star was sent 41 illegal images by convicted paedophile Alex Williams over WhatsApp, paying him £1,500.
Edwards, who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, said “go on” when he was asked by Williams if he wanted “naughty pics and vids” of someone described as “young”.
Of the images sent to Edwards, seven were of the most serious type and the estimated age of most of the children was between 13 and 15 – but one was aged between seven and nine.
Williams was charged in relation to his WhatsApp exchange with Edwards and was convicted of seven offences following an investigation by South Wales Police – receiving a 12-month suspended sentence.
Many expressed concern that the sentencing could send the message that those who commit serious offences are easily able to avoid prison time.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, added: “This is not a good look for our criminal justice system when we have recently seen offenders get custodial sentences for unpleasant things said on social media.
“It is no wonder the public have lost faith in our institutions. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Sharing her thoughts on the sentencing, GB News host Bev Turner criticised British society for “doing a really bad job” of how it “treats its old people and its children”.
Hitting out at the sentencing, she argued that it is “dark and depraved” of Edwards to be “soliciting” such content without the “harshest of sentences”.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are appalled by his crimes. He’s betrayed not just the BBC, but audiences who put their trust in him.”
