The Metropolitan police have confirmed that they have spoken to BBC about the presenter who was suspended after paying a teenager more than $44,000 for sexually explicit photos and the broadcaster is yet to file a formal complaint about the unnamed individual.

According to Daily Mail, the Met said that BBC is yet to make a “formal referral or allegation,” which is contrary to what Tim Davie, the director-general of BBC said regarding the investigation being conducted into the accused presenter. He said on Sunday that the corporation was investigating “swiftly and sensitively” the “deeply concerning” claims after holding urgent talks with the government.

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A Met spokesperson said in a statement: “The Met has received initial contact from the BBC in relation to this matter but no formal referral or allegation had been made. We will require additional information before determining what further action should follow.”

BBC has refrained from revealing the identity of the accused presenter but in a statement, has confirmed that it has suspended a male member of the staff due to the allegations made against him.

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement: “The BBC first became aware of a complaint in May. New allegations were put to us on Thursday of a different nature and in addition to our own inquiries, we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols. We can also confirm a male member of staff has been suspended. We expect to be in a position to provide a further update in the coming days as the process continues.”

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The statement added: “The BBC board will continue to be kept up to date. The BBC takes any allegations seriously and we have robust internal processes in place to proactively deal with such allegations. This is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances and the BBC is working as quickly as possible to establish the facts in order to properly inform appropriate next steps. It is important that these matters are handled fairly and with care. We have been clear that if – at any point – new information comes to light or is provided to us, this will be acted upon appropriately and actively followed up.”