IT seems barely a week goes by without yet more sordid allegations of a high-profile celebrity or politician abusing their position of power.

The latest involves a well-known BBC presenter, who has been accused of paying a teenager for explicit images. The messages allegedly started in 2020, when the teenager was 17.

The alleged victim’s distraught mother contacted the BBC about the allegations back in May and begged it to act, saying she had discovered that her child was using the money from the presenter to fund a dangerous crack cocaine addiction.

“When I see him on telly, I feel sick. I blame this man for destroying my child’s life,” she said.

She said her child had went from “a happy-go-lucky youngster to a ghost-like crack addict” in just three years. The news about the allegations broke after the mum contacted The Sun.

She said she wanted no money from the newspaper for the exclusive story, she just wanted the messages and payments from the presenter to stop. In recent days, a number of BBC presenters have publicly denied they are the person in question.

READ MORE: General Election result can be used to negotiate independence, PM told

As speculation about the identity of the alleged perpetrator grew on social media. Gary Lineker, Jeremy Vine and Rylan Clark all tweeted that it wasn’t them.

The unnamed presenter is not due on air in the coming days but it is unclear whether or not they have been suspended. This raises a number of serious questions about the BBC’s handling of the allegations and whether proper safeguarding procedures were followed.

There is concern over how long it took for the BBC to investigate the claims and what – if any – action was taken after the initial report in May.

The victim’s mum says she has seen bank statements detailing payments made by the star totalling some £35,000 over the last three years. She says the presenter never attempted to hide their identity during contact with the teenager and even sent photos of themselves to the young person while at work.

Given the nature of the allegations and the fact that this reprehensible behaviour was conducted through digital platforms, it seems that the BBC should have had enough information to take action at the time the first report was made.

The fact the presenter has only now been taken off air suggests the corporation hasn’t learned any lessons from the past.

READ MORE: BBC suspends staff member after explicit photo claims about presenter

Media outlets such as the BBC and ITV seem to care more about brand management and preventing reputational damage than they do about the wellbeing of the vulnerable exploited by their stars. It speaks volumes about the culture of the organisation that the unnamed BBC presenter felt comfortable in engaging in this behaviour.

As well as pictures, the star apparently requested “performances” from the teen and “got their bits out” during their communication.

In the days ahead, we can expect many headlines about a BBC in crisis. More presenters will come forward to rule themselves out, and the corporation will be forced to release a statement addressing the mounting questions.

Amid all the noise, there will be a young person who is suffering and a mum who is desperately worried about the impact the last few years have had on her child.

Big media outlets and their stars hold a uniquely influential and powerful position within our society. They should be held to the highest of standards.

The BBC takes a hard line approach to impartiality rules when one of its presenters offers even the faintest criticism of the UK government. That the same doesn’t apply when one of their presenters is accused of sexual misconduct towards a young person is grotesque.

READ MORE: Four dogs shot dead after large pack attack sheep on farm near Moffat

The obfuscation and excuses aren’t good enough. It is shameful how often organisations fail to act on complaints until they become a front-page story. What exactly did the BBC do after receiving the complaint in May, given we know that the presenter remained on air?

We need to know whether the presenter was spoken to after the complaint and whether the payments for explicit images continued after the BBC was made aware of the allegations.

The BBC needs to conduct an urgent, transparent investigation into not only the complaint itself but also the HR failures in how it was handled.

The chair of Westminster’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee, MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, released a statement at the weekend in which she said she was “concerned” the BBC had “taken a very long time to investigate”.

Many people will rightly be wondering whether, if not for the newspaper splash and the negative headlines, the BBC would have gotten round to investigating the allegations at all.