Accusers who left his image in tatters

SIR Cliff Richard’s reputation was smeared as a result of sexual abuse claims by no fewer than nine men, including fantasists, a serial rapist, a blackmailer and even a religious minister.

These are four of the accusers who came forward to South Yorkshire Police. Prosecutors rejected bringing any charges.

THE BILLY GRAHAM BOY

The first allegation against Sir Cliff was made in April 2014. It concerned a claim of sexual assault against a youth at a rally in Sheffield for the American Christian evangelist Billy Graham in 1983.

But in fact, the Billy Graham rally did not take place in Sheffield until two years later – and the room where the attack was alleged to have taken place had not yet been built.

THE ROLLER SKATER

A man came forward in February 2015 claiming he had twice been sexually assaulted by Cliff Richard when he was 21. He said the singer roller-skated into a clothes shop in Milton Keynes, groped him and skated out.

Two hours later, he said, Sir Cliff returned, still on roller skates, and attacked him again. The man has become a ‘religious minister’ since the alleged assault.

THE RAPIST

One accuser was a serial violent sex offender who constructed a story in which, as a boy, he was molested by Sir Cliff at Elm Guest House in South West London in 1982. This, he claimed, turned him into a sexual predator.

He told The Sun newspaper that he had been interviewed around 30 times by South Yorkshire and Metropolitan Police officers about his allegations against Sir Cliff. But he was able to offer only vague details about what he alleged took place.

THE BLACKMAILER

After seeing the BBC coverage of the police raid on Sir Cliff’s home, a man with mental health issues approached one of the singer’s aides in an attempted blackmail. He said he would make sexual accusations against Sir Cliff unless he was paid off.

He was arrested and questioned about the blackmail by one police force, then interviewed about his abuse claims by the South Yorkshire force, which initially took them seriously.