Bullying BBC ‘strong-armed cops into revealing raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s home which it then showed live on TV’
Singer is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police for up to £1.5million and is demanding to know where the leak came from
THE BBC “strong-armed” police into revealing a raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s home which it then showed live on TV, a court heard yesterday.
Cops investigating sex assault allegations were seen storming the 76-year-old’s apartment in 2014.
Senior officers claim they were pressurised by the broadcaster after information about the probe was leaked to a reporter, the High Court was told.
The singer’s lawyer Justin Rushbrooke QC told a preliminary hearing that BBC reporter Dan Johnson “knew a great deal about the investigation”.
RELATED STORIES
He went on: “Mr Johnson told South Yorkshire Police he had enough to broadcast a story and indeed threatened to do so. It was for these reasons that South Yorkshire Police agreed to co-operate with Mr Johnson in the way and to the extent that they did.”
He added: “South Yorkshire Police’s case is they were effectively strong-armed into co-operating.” The swoop on Sir Cliff’s apartment in Sunningdale, Berks, was part of the Operation Yewtree investigation into historic sex abuse.
The case against Sir Cliff was dropped last year but he claims that the coverage “violated” his privacy and damaged his reputation.
His lawyers yesterday made an application demanding the BBC reveal whether its source was part of the Yewtree team.
The judge Mr Justice Mann said the issue would be decided in a hearing next month ahead of the main trial later this year.
The BBC insisted last December that it has a “right to protect confidential journalistic sources” and has vowed to defend itself “vigorously”.