£800,000 cost of Cliff police probe

POLICE spent almost £800,000 investigating false claims of sexual assault against Sir Cliff Richard, including more than £10,000 on hotels for officers, it emerged yesterday.

The total cost to taxpayers of the police investigation could be almost £2million because in May South Yorkshire Police had to pay out damages and costs said to be worth £1million for naming the star as a suspected paedophile.

In addition, Sir Cliff, 77, is still embroiled in a High Court dispute with the BBC for filming the police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014, which if successful could land the public purse with further costs in compensation.

Police figures released following a freedom of information request show that the force spent £788,734 on the investigation including staff costs of £766,845. It spent £10,868 on hotels, £5,758 on hire cars and £1,553 on train tickets before the 22-month inquiry was dropped in June last year.

The singer was never arrested or charged and it emerged that among those making claims against him were known fantasists, a rapist and a blackmailer.