Cliff: BBC and the police tainted my life for ever
Pop singer’s shattering account of the abuse claims ordeal that will now affect him for ever
CLIFF Richard last night laid bare his desperate ordeal at the hands of police and the BBC.
The 76-year-old singer said he had suffered depression, distress and humiliation following false sex claims.
He accused the BBC of broadcasting a police raid on his home purely for entertainment.
The swoop in August 2014 was part of a probe into allegations made by four men and dating back to 1958. Although Sir Cliff was never arrested, it took until earlier this year for prosecutors to rule out charges. A review last month confirmed that decision was correct.
But the singer said he feared he would be ‘for ever tainted’ by the case – ending his role as a ‘respected artist and ambassador for Great Britain’.
In an extraordinary broadside, he savaged the BBC for interrupting its schedule to televise the raid live. He told MPs and peers it was like watching his house being burgled. ‘I felt as though I was in a hole and I had no means of escape,’ he said.
BBC cameramen in a helicopter zoomed in on officers searching through the star’s belongings in his Berkshire penthouse.
Sir Cliff, who is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police, spoke in Parliament yesterday as part of a campaign to give anonymity to sex crime suspects who have not been charged. The meeting of around 30 MPs and peers was organised by Lord Paddick, a former deputy assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service.
In a statement, Sir Cliff said: ‘The TV circus took away from me all hope of ever being what I had been before, a confident and respected artist, and an ambassador for Great Britain.
‘Had I not been named worldwide I feel I would still have been able to look people in the eye and not feel afraid that they might be thinking that there is no smoke without fire.
‘Instead I will for ever be tainted by the lurid and intrusive coverage I received. I have had to bring civil proceedings to obtain redress for these appalling invasions of my privacy by the police and the BBC. But that can never undo all the damage I have suffered.
‘There are no words in my vocabulary that adequately describe the emotional trauma I suffered in consequence of the South Yorkshire Police’s and the BBC’s decision to disclose and publicise my name and details of the police investigation in such a sensationalist manner.’
The packed meeting in the House of Lords included the musician Baron Lloyd-Webber.
Paul Gambaccini, the broadcaster who was kept on police bail for 12 months after being arrested on suspicion of historical sex offences in 2013 before being told he would not be charged, spoke at the event.
The meeting was also attended by Lady Brittan, the widow of former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Brittan, who was also wrongly accused of sex offences.
In a further written submission to peers, Sir Cliff said: ‘Over the course of the 22 months of the investigation, I suffered from episodes of depression. As well as my faith, I am fortunate to have an incredible support network which, I have no doubt, I could not have done without. But I felt as though I was in a hole and I had no means of escape.
‘It was the first thing that I thought of in the morning, and the last at night. It takes a horrible toll on you.’
He accused the BBC of broadcasting the raid in the form of a ‘sensational exclusive story, giving it massive prominence’.
‘The BBC broadcast footage from a helicopter which included being able to see police officers rifling through my possessions inside my home,’ he wrote. ‘It was like watching my home being broken into – on television.
‘This footage was replayed throughout the day and it featured as a leading story on the BBC’s main news bulletins.’
Sir Cliff, Mr Gambaccini and Lady Brittan supported an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill, proposed by Lib Dem peer Lord Paddick.
The amendment calls for ‘anonymity before charge’ in cases of accusations of sexual abuse, except in exceptional circumstances.
After the meeting, Sir Cliff embraced his friend Lord Lloyd Webber. He left Parliament in a cab with Mr Gambaccini, who presents BBC Radio 2’s Pick of the Pops.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We’ve said previously we are very sorry that Sir Cliff has suffered distress but we have a duty to report on matters of public interest and we stand by our journalism.’
‘Lurid, intrusive coverage’