Former BBC producer Dylan Dawes has been found guilty of possessing and making indecent images of children, following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court. The jury delivered its verdict on Friday after hearing evidence that Dawes had downloaded more than 6,000 such images over a 16-year period.
Prosecutor Harry Baker told the court that police discovered the material during a raid on Dawes’ home in 2022, seizing computers and storage devices. Of the images found, 192 were classified as Category A—the most serious level under UK law. The offences spanned from December 31, 2006, to March 1, 2022, and involved four different devices.
Dawes, who joined the BBC in 2001, had pleaded not guilty to all six charges. Judge Eugene Egan told the court the jury had reached its decision based on “absolutely overwhelming evidence.”
Sentencing has been scheduled for May 14, and Dawes will be required to register as a sex offender. The case has drawn attention to the BBC’s historical challenges in addressing internal misconduct, following high-profile scandals involving figures such as Jimmy Savile, whose decades of abuse were only revealed after his death in 2011.
In a separate recent development, BBC radio presenter Scott Mills was removed from his role amid a renewed police investigation into historical sexual offences. The broadcaster has faced mounting scrutiny over its handling of internal complaints and safeguarding procedures.
