CLIFF: BBC OWES ME A MILLION

Singer fights for legal costs

SIR Cliff Richard is demanding more than £1million from the BBC in legal fees after the corporation filmed a police raid on his home.

The singer, 78, was paid £850,000 by Beeb bosses to cover some of his huge legal bill following a High Court victory.

But now he wants the full amount to be covered.

BBC sources confirmed Sir Cliff ’s lawyers had recently lodged a costs submission.

The star won his privacy legal battle seven months ago.

The costs shortfall is revealed in accounts for Sir Cliff ’s company Balladeer Ltd.

They state: “The company has incurred legal costs in defending the reputation of Sir Cliff Richard.

“The final award in respect of costs in relation to this case has not yet been determined.”

The BBC and Sir Cliff’s lawyers are in contact but it is thought a final settlement is still some time off.

“It’s a very protracted process,” a source close to the case said.

Sir Cliff fought the case after the BBC used a helicopter to film a police raid on his home.

The raid followed an allegation that he had committed a sex offence in 1985.

He was never arrested or charged and the case was dropped.

As well as costs the BBC had to pay Sir Cliff damages of £210,000 on top of damages of £400,000 already paid to him by South Yorkshire Police, who had investigated the original case.

The judge called the BBC’s actions a “very serious” invasion of privacy, and the BBC settled more than £850,000 of Sir Cliff ’s costs within 14 days of the verdict. Sir Cliff told the High Court: “I had no idea that heading into my 80th birthday I would have such ginormous bills come through. It’s a huge amount of money.” He added: “I’ve had four terrible years. It was horrific. I would never wish that on my worst enemy. “It was tumultuous, horrific, emotionally draining, traumatic. “It was heartbreaking for me that anyone would even think it possible for that accusation to be true. What the BBC did was very unfair.” BATTLE: Sir Cliff won case