LIVING IN FEAR
Cliff Richard claims he ‘won’t go anywhere near kids’ after televised sex assault raid – as he opens up about ‘four years of turmoil’
SIR Cliff Richard tonight said he "won't go anywhere near children" as he opened up about the "four years of turmoil" sparked by the BBC's televised sex assault raid.
The singer, 77, called for "heads to roll" as he spoke for the first time after winning his landmark legal battle against the broadcaster.
14
In an exclusive interview with ITV News tonight, Sir Cliff revealed how:
- He collapsed from stress during his ordeal and survived on two hours sleep a night
- He has vowed not to go "anywhere near children" in fear of further allegations
- He wants "heads to roll" among senior members of the BBC
- He has spent £4million on suing the BBC for breaching his privacy
The singer successfully sued the BBC for breach of privacy after the "sensationalist" raid by officers investigating unfounded historic sex assault claims.
He said coverage of the raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire in August 2014 - which involved the use of a helicopter - was a "very serious invasion" of his privacy.
Today, the High Court agreed and Sir Cliff was awarded £210,000 - although he could end up getting more.
Speaking to ITV News tonight, the singer slammed the BBC's "nonsense" decision to run the broadcast.
He said: "They [senior managers] have to carry the can. I don't know how they are going to do it, but they'll have to.
"If heads roll then maybe it's because it was deserved...It's too big a decision to be made badly."
14
Sir Cliff Richard says 'if heads roll at the BBC it will be deserved' after he wins privacy case
14
Sir Cliff told how his health has suffered as the stress and mental strain of the ordeal took its toll.
He said: "In the first two years I managed to get an average of two hours sleep a day. I never went to sleep without thinking about it, I never got up without thinking about it."
He added: "The worst moment was when I collapsed on my kitchen floor. That was when it suddenly hit me that I was in this mess and I couldn't figure how to answer it because the question was wrong. I didn't do anything like that. That was the most disastrous."
Sir Cliff - who spent £4million on his legal battle - has accused the BBC of showing a "great deal of arrogance" with their decision to look past police who were "not going to name me".
He told ITV News: "I won’t go anywhere near children. Why? I’ve spent my whole life hugging people’s grandchildren.
"But because of this thing now… There’s aspects of my life now even when I’m having photographs taken I try not to make contact."
14
14
14
Supporters sang his hit song Congratulations as the singer burst into tears after Mr Justice Mann today ruled in his favour at the High Court in London.
He said Sir Cliff will receive "substantial damages" of £210,000 for the "general effect" on his life and is entitled to recover further sums - to be decided at a later date - for the financial impact he suffered.
The judge has yet to assess how much the BBC coverage has left the singer out of pocket - but lawyers say that figure could be much larger than £210,000.
The judgement is expected to have serious implications for press freedom and open justice - with the BBC now planning to appeal the decision.
The judge said the BBC had infringed his privacy rights in a "serious and sensationalist way" - but the corporation argued its reporting was justified under rights of freedom of expression and of the press.
They explained the landmark case raised issues of “great, arguably constitutional importance for freedom of the press”.
In a statement, BBC Director of News Fran Unsworth said the ruling "represents a dramatic shift against press freedom and the long-standing ability of journalists to report on police investigations".
He also apologised for the "distress that Sir Cliff has been through" but said a "significant principle" is at stake.
14
14
His lawyer Gideon Benaim said the BBC insisted it had run a "public interest story".
He added the singer never expected after 60 years in the public eye to have his "privacy and reputation tarnished in such a way".
Speaking after the verdict, the singer said: "I’m choked up. I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful news.”
Mr Benaim also explained the singer was not interested in personal gain as he would be out of "substantially out of pocket" and his aim was to "right a wrong";.
What the verdict could mean for press freedom
Today's High Court ruling has raised questions of press freedom and whether individuals have a right to privacy in the early stages of a criminal investigation before charges are brought.
The BBC had defended the lawsuit - arguing the case had raised issues of “great, arguably constitutional importance for freedom of the press”.
They also said if Sir Cliff’s case succeeded the result would undermine press freedom to report about police investigations at an early stage.
There are now fears the ruling could pave the way for rich and powerful individuals to use data protection and privacy laws to gag the press.
It could also be a setback to open justice and the public’s right to know what the police are up to.
The BBC had been tipped off by South Yorkshire Police, who were investigating allegations of child sex abuse made against the singer.
They argued its reporting was accurate, in good faith, was on a matter of public interest and respected the rights of the singer - including an assumption of innocence.
Gavin Millar QC said no such privacy claim over the reporting of a police search has ever been heard in a British court before - adding: "Parliament had never legislated to prevent reporting of the execution of search warrants.”
They are now looking to appeal the ruling to stop "decision-making in the hands of the police".
14
Sir Cliff Richard describes the time he 'collapsed on the kitchen floor' during his ordeal
Sir Cliff received £190,000 in general damages for the effect the broadcast had on his life and £20,000 for aggravating features after the BBC unsuccessfully nominated the footage for "Scoop of the Year".
The BBC must pay 65 per cent of the £190,000 and South Yorkshire Police, who carried out the raid, 35 per cent.
A hearing is lined up for next week to decide if costs will be pursued by Sir Cliff's lawyers.
His legal team claimed the corporation’s coverage was a “very serious invasion” of privacy while the BBC disputed the claim, saying it was accurate and in good faith.
It also said its reporting was justified under rights of freedom of expression and of the press.
Sir Cliff previously broke down as he told the hearing how he felt "forever tainted" by the raid at his home in Sunningdale, Berks, in August 2014.
'We don't believe this is compatible with liberty and press freedoms' - The BBC statement in full
BBC Director of News Fran Unsworth said: "We are sorry for the distress that Sir Cliff has been through. We understand the very serious impact that this has had on him.
"We have thought long and hard about how we covered this story. On reflection there are things we would have done differently, however the judge has ruled that the very naming of Sir Cliff was unlawful. So even had the BBC not used helicopter shots or ran the story with less prominence, the judge would still have found that the story was unlawful; despite ruling that what we broadcast about the search was accurate.
"This judgment creates new case law and represents a dramatic shift against press freedom and the long-standing ability of journalists to report on police investigations, which in some cases has led to further complainants coming forward.
"This impacts not just the BBC, but every media organisation.
"This isn't just about reporting on individuals. It means police investigations, and searches of people's homes, could go unreported and unscrutinised. It will make it harder to scrutinise the conduct of the police and we fear it will undermine the wider principle of the public's right to know. It will put decision-making in the hands of the police.
"We don't believe this is compatible with liberty and press freedoms; something that has been at the heart of this country for generations.
"For all of these reasons, there is a significant principle at stake. That is why the BBC is looking at an appeal.";
14
14
Recalling his reaction to the broadcast, he said: “I literally lost the power to stand. I collapsed in the kitchen. Nothing like it had ever happened to me before.
"I was in despair and felt hopeless and helpless.
“I felt as though I was in a hole with no means of getting out and I was on my knees in the kitchen sobbing.
“At that moment I couldn’t see how I could face the future, my friends or my family.
"Although I’d done nothing wrong it felt like the world, everyone who knew me, everywhere I had been, must believe I had. Or at least was talking about whether I’d done it.”
He said seeing coverage of the search at his apartment was like "watching burglars" going through his belongings and that he has never lived in the apartment again because it's "contaminated".
14
Sir Cliff also revealed his torment during the 22 months he waited to discover his fate before cops told him he would face no further action.
He said his health suffered, adding: "During the day there was an ever-present knot in my stomach.
"I'd wake up in the middle of the night, going over things in my head again and again."
He added: "At one point, feeling particularly sleep deprived and tormented, I actually thought I was going to have a heart attack or stroke."
The singer was accused of sexually assaulting a boy in 1985 during an event featuring evangelist Billy Graham at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane football stadium.
14
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in 2013 after the man came forward to make an allegation and the case was passed to South Yorkshire Police in July 2014.
By the time prosecutors finally announced he would face no charges in 2016, he had faced separate claims from four men — all of which were dismissed.
One accuser was a convicted sex offender, the High Court heard.
14
SIR CLIFF'S TURMOIL
March 2014: South Yorkshire Police (SYP) receives an allegation against Sir Cliff Richard from Operation Yewtree - a Met Police investigation into historic sex offences in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. The complainant alleges he was molested by Sir Cliff during an event led by US preacher Billy Graham at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground in the 1980s.
June 2014: BBC reporter Dan Johnson receives a tip from a confidential source about Sir Cliff being investigated by police.
9 July 2014: Dan Johnson has a conversation with SYP's head of communications Carrie Goodwin. Towards the end of the conversation, he asks her if Sir Cliff is "on their radar".
15 July 2014: Dan Johnson meets at SYP headquarters with Carrie Goodwin and Superintendent Matthew Fenwick, who is leading the investigation into Sir Cliff.
13 August 2014: Dan Johnson is notified that SYP officers will carry out a search of Sir Cliff's home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, the following day.
14 August 2014: SYP officers carry out a search of the singer's home. The BBC broadcasts from the scene, using a helicopter to obtain footage of the search being conducted in the penthouse apartment. Sir Cliff sees the footage from a hotel in Portugal where he is on holiday.
September 2014: Sir Cliff withdraws from a fundraising concert at Canterbury Cathedral which was due to be broadcast by the BBC.
June 2016: The Crown Prosecution Service announces its decision not to bring any charges against Sir Cliff.
July 2016: Sir Cliff instructs lawyers to seek damages from the BBC and SYP over their handling of the police raid.
May 2017: The singer accepts £400,000 damages from SYP. The force offers its "sincere apologies" to Sir Cliff.
April/May 2018: Sir Cliff's case against the BBC is heard by Mr Justice Mann in London.
18 July 2018: The judge rules in Sir Cliff’s favour, awarding “substantial damages” and noting that the singer’s right to privacy “outweighs” the BBC’s right to freedom of expression.
Sir Cliff, who denied wrongdoing and was not charged with any offence, said he suffered "profound and long-lasting damage" as a result of the coverage and wants damages.
He watched the live coverage unfold from Portugal and told the court he could see cops "going through the drawers" in one of the rooms.
Reporter Dan Johnson had received a tip off from South Yorkshire Police about the raid.
The star added: “What the BBC did to me was very wrong. I was portrayed as a sex offender around the world before I had even been questioned by police.”
MOST READ IN NEWS
The singer said a public declaration of wrongdoing by the BBC would give him some solace and go some way to ensuring "that what happened to me never happens to anyone else again".
A BBC spokesman has said the broadcaster had reported Sir Cliff's "full denial of the allegations at every stage".
Sir Cliff had also sued South Yorkshire Police but Mr Justice Mann was told the dispute was settled after the force agreed to pay the singer "substantial" damages.
Cliff Richard reflects on his torment after sex abuse allegations
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics