The BBC has suspended a presenter accused of being a sex pest.
Radio 5 Live's George Riley, 38, was notable by his absence during yesterday's coverage of the Wales vs. Papua New Guinea Rugby League World Cup opener. Wales got an absolute thumping, but that's by the bye.
According to reports in today's Sunday Times (subscription required) the Leeds-born presenter has been accused of groping five female colleagues.
In addition to his regular stints in the commentary box, Riley has been the voice of the 5 Live Breakfast programme since 2011. He has hosted several sports television programmes, including the BBC's Super League Show and Channel 5's Football League Tonight.
The BBC should be particularly uneasy at the claim that concerns have been raised about Riley in the past. It is said that a woman made allegations about Riley's conduct when she was interviewed as part of the BBC's Respect At Work Review back in 2013. The £320k Review, led by Dinah Rose QC, was tasked with looking at the BBC's policies and procedures for dealing with sexual misconduct in the wake of the Savile sex scandal. Clearly, if these most recent allegations are true, it would appear that the BBC has yet again ignored what was hidden in plain sight.
When asked to comment on Riley's suspension, the BBC said: "We can't comment on individuals but treat any allegations seriously and have processes in place for investigating them."
Stay tuned for further updates. As far as we are aware, these allegations are unrelated to those reported yesterday.
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