LONDON: The BBC said Sunday it suspended a male member of staff following allegations that one of its presenters paid a teenager thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos.

UK culture minister Lucy Frazer said earlier she had spoken about the “deeply concerning” allegations with BBC Director General Tim Davie, who assured her the BBC is “investigating swiftly and sensitively”.

The Sun newspaper, which first reported the claims, cited the young person’s mother as saying that an unnamed BBC presenter paid her child over £35,000 ($45,000) for the images over a three-year period.

It is also claimed that the presenter in question appeared on air for a month after the family of the young person — who was said to be 17 when the payments started — complained to the BBC in May.

In a statement on Sunday, the BBC confirmed that it “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 enquiries we have also been in touch with external authorities, in line with our protocols,” it added.