Cliff Richard to sue BBC for live coverage of raid at his home
The entertainer confirmed in a statement he has instructed his lawyers to make formal legal complaints to determine whether or not the actions of the broadcaster and police was “justified and proportionate”.
Officers investigating allegations of historic sex offences were filmed searching Richard’s apartment in Berkshire in August 2014, leading to him being publicly named as part of the probe. The 75-year-old was never arrested or charged.
The Crown Prosecution Service dismissed the case on grounds of insufficient evidence in June and both the BBC and South Yorkshire Police have apologised.
The veteran singer called for police to follow guidelines in not naming suspects before they were charged save for “exceptional circumstances”.
He said: “I chose not to comment during the active investigation for obvious reasons, but having suffered the experience that I have, I firmly believe that privacy should be respected and that police guidelines are there to be followed.
“That means that, save in exceptional circumstances, people should never be named unless and until they are charged. As everybody has accepted there were no such “exceptional circumstances” in my case.”
According to the Daily Mail, the claim is worth £1m (€1.17m) and reflects damage he suffered personally and commercially as a result of the episode.
It is understood Richard developed a cough which affected his touring schedule, an album release had to be delayed, sales of his popular calendars were affected, and his winery business suffered.
Richard said the issue of whether the actions were justified or not was “important not only for me personally but much more widely”.
He added: “My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged.
"I would not want the same to happen to others whether in the public eye or not.
"Whilst the police of course need to properly investigate allegations made to them, it is clear to me that questions need to be answered by both the police and the BBC about their initial handling of my matter, which has rightly been condemned from so many quarters, including the home affairs select committee, the broader press, and, even the police themselves.”
The BBCdeclined to comment. It previously said it was “very sorry” for causing the singer distress.
