The BBC Board has asked Huw Edwards to repay the salary he earned from when he was arrested last November, amounting to around £200,000 ($254,000), while saying he has “brought us into disrepute.”

Issuing a statement in the past few minutes, the board, which is chaired by Samir Shah, said: “Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to an appalling crime. Had he been up front when asked by the BBC about his arrest, we would never have continued to pay him public money. He has clearly undermined trust in the BBC and brought us into disrepute.”

The BBC was forced to reveal last week that a small number of senior leaders including Director General Tim Davie were aware Edwards was arrested last November over three counts of making indecent images of children. He was charged several months later and pled guilty last week. Davie subsequently said the BBC was not hiding evidence about him but that it had chosen not to fire the former newsreader when it was told about his arrest in November. “We knew it was serious, we knew no specifics, apart from the category of the potential offenses,” said Davie.

Today, the board said it has reviewed information provided by Davie’s team over the last week and “supports the decisions taken by the Director General and his team during this period.”

“These decisions were based on taking into account a range of factors including: the BBC’s legal and contractual obligations; the knowledge the BBC had at the time; duty of care concerns; and, due regard for the accountability that the BBC has for public money,” it added.

The board noted that “the Executive has agreed to look at lessons from this period, including the BBC’s approach to the rules surrounding payments when employees are suspended.”

Just after Edwards pled guilty, the BBC was accused by insiders of double standards over Edwards’ salary after it emerged that the British broadcaster’s freelance presenters are not paid if suspended and under police investigation.