Web sleuths track down troll who smeared Nicky Campbell over sex pics scandal
Scots broadcaster Nicky Campbell has turned to online sleuths to find a web troll who smeared him after claiming that social media giant X had failed to track down the culprit.
Campbell was falsely named as the BBC presenter at the centre of the furore over a teenage boy who was allegedly paid for sexually explicit photographs.
In reality, Huw Edwards, who quit the BBC earlier this week on medical grounds, was the subject of the claims. But before he was named, there was fierce speculation online about the presenter’s identity.
Last July, Campbell, 63, said he had contacted police about his name appearing online in connection with the story, and was talking with his lawyers in terms of defamation.
On Tuesday he tweeted that it was ‘really upsetting’ to learn from police that no action could be taken because X allegedly did not respond in time to identify the culprit.
Nicky Campbell is talking to his lawyers
In reality, Huw Edwards was the subject of the claims
Posting a screen-grab of the troll’s tweet, Campbell said: ‘At the time of the Huw Edwards saga last year, this was posted.
‘Heard yesterday Twitter/X didn’t respond in time. Whoever this person is, they’ve got away with it.
‘Cops say “username in question has been deactivated and the requested data is not available from Twitter/X production tools… 30 days after deactivation”.’ The tweet was sent by FPL_Wulf who claimed to be a Blackburn Rovers fan ‘addicted to the beautiful game’.
Later Campbell had exchanges with people who apparently know FPL_Wulf, and the broadcaster tweeted that he had managed to find a possible name for the troll.
It is understood that Campbell is now in talks with police and lawyers. He declined to comment further yesterday.
Last year he spoke about a ‘distressing weekend’ he suffered after he was forced to clear his name following the allegations that he was the presenter involved in the BBC row.
After days of conjecture – and Edwards’s name being mentioned repeatedly on social media –Edwards’s wife Vicky Flind issued a statement to say the father of five was ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and receiving in-patient hospital care.
The Metropolitan Police, which investigated Campbell’s report, and X were both contacted for comment.
Edwards earned up to £439,999, making him the BBC’s highest-paid newsreader.
The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police both said he had committed no criminal offence.
Edwards was last seen on BBC One’s News At Ten on July 5 last year when he co-presented a special edition live from Edinburgh as the King was honoured.
Earlier this week, Australia’s prime minister called X owner Elon Musk an ‘arrogant billionaire’ in an escalating feud over the platform’s alleged reluctance to remove footage of a church stabbing.
On Monday, an Australian court ordered the social media company – formerly called Twitter – to hide videos of last week’s attack in Sydney.
X previously said it would comply ‘pending a legal challenge’.
