Cliff ‘leak’ suspect cop is let off with a slap on the wrist
A POLICE officer suspected of leaking information about an investigation into Sir Cliff Richard has escaped severe punishment.
South Yorkshire Police (SYP) gave the unnamed officer ‘management advice’ – tantamount to a slap on the wrist – after his tweet last April.
Management advice is the lowest sanction given for misconduct. Referring the incident to the police watchdog IPCC, SYP queried whether or not the officer could be the source of the tip-off that led to the force agreeing with the BBC to broadcast a raid of the pop star’s home.
Heavily redacted police files, obtained by The Mail on Sunday through a freedom of information request, show a complaint was sent to former crime commissioner Shaun Wright days after the raid on Sir Cliff’s home on August 14 last year.
The letter said the unnamed officer tweeted about a 73-year-old man’s arrest by Operation Yewtree detectives. Online rumours incorrectly said he was Sir Cliff, and it is believed the post referred to those claims.
The IPCC handed the case back to SYP, which concluded that the junior officer was not the source of the leak – though it has not said why it came to that conclusion. The star was in Portugal during the raid on his £3 million Berkshire home.
He has denied allegations that he abused a youth, now in his forties, at a Christian rally in 1985.
Last night, Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs select committee, said: ‘People will be puzzled that the officer should be treated so leniently for such a serious matter.’
Sir Cliff declined to comment.