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Cliff Richard will not face charges over sexual abuse claims Cliff Richard will not face charges over sexual abuse claims
(35 minutes later)
Singer Cliff Richard, 75, is to face no further action following the South Yorkshire police investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse, it has been announced. Sir Cliff Richard will not face charges over allegations he sexually abused four boys more than 30 years ago, the Crown Prosecution Service announced on Thursday.
Martin Goldman, chief crown prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “The CPS has carefully reviewed evidence relating to claims of non-recent sexual offences dating between 1958 and 1983 made by four men. Just over a month after receiving a file of evidence from police on the singer, lawyers for the CPS said there was insufficient evidence from the police investigation to charge Richard and no further action should be taken against him.
The 22-month police investigation into the 75-year old celebrity was mired in controversy from its inception, when South Yorkshire police engaged in a deal with the BBC in which the broadcaster filmed a search in the summer of 2014 of Richard’s Berkshire home and broadcast it live.
In a statement Richard criticised his public outing as a suspect. “I was named before I was even interviewed and for me that was like being hung out like ‘live bait’.
“It is obvious that such strategies simply increase the risk of attracting spurious claims, which not only tie up police resources and waste public funds, but they forever tarnish the reputations of innocent people.
“There have been numerous occasions in recent years where this has occurred, and I feel very strongly that no innocent person should be treated in this way.”
“I know the truth and in some people’s eyes the CPS announcement today doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t expressly state that I am innocent; which of course I am. There lies the problem...
“My reputation will not be fully vindicated because the CPS policy is to only say something general about there being ‘insufficient’ evidence.
“How can there be evidence for something that never took place!”
The singer denied any involvement in child abuse early on, but the police told the House of Commons select committee in February 2015 that they were expanding their investigation. At its height detectives were investigating allegations from nine men that the singer had abused them between 1958 and 1983. The Guardian understands some of the allegations were made by a prison source.
Martin Goldman, the chief crown prosecutor for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “The CPS has carefully reviewed evidence relating to claims of non-recent sexual offences dating between 1958 and 1983 made by four men.
“We have decided that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute.“We have decided that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute.
“This decision has been made in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors and our guidance for prosecutors on cases of sexual offences.“This decision has been made in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors and our guidance for prosecutors on cases of sexual offences.
“The CPS worked with police during the investigation. This has helped minimise the time needed to reach a decision once we received the complete file of evidence on 10 May.“The CPS worked with police during the investigation. This has helped minimise the time needed to reach a decision once we received the complete file of evidence on 10 May.
“The complainants have been informed and provided with a full explanation in writing.”“The complainants have been informed and provided with a full explanation in writing.”
In a statement, Richard said: “After almost two years under police investigation I learnt today that they have finally closed their enquiries. South Yorkshire Police apologised “wholeheartedly for the additional anxiety caused” to Richard by the force’s “initial handling of the media interest” in its investigation into the singer.
“I have always maintained my innocence, co-operated fully with the investigation, and cannot understand why it has taken so long to get to this point! Nevertheless, I am obviously thrilled that the vile accusations and the resulting investigation have finally been brought to a close. The force revealed a further five allegations considered by detectives did not meet the threshold to pass to the CPS.
“Ever since the highly-publicised and BBC-filmed raid on my home I have chosen not to speak publicly. Even though I was under pressure to ‘speak out’, other than to state my innocence, which was easy for me to do as I have never molested anyone in my life, I chose to remain silent. “South Yorkshire detectives have explored and gathered all information available and carried out a thorough and detailed investigation, which has covered the UK and abroad. The investigation, which has spanned two years, is estimated to have cost in the region of £800,000, including staffing costs,” the statement said.
“This was despite the widely-shared sense of injustice resulting from the high-profile fumbling of my case from day one. Other than in exceptional cases, people who are facing allegations should never be named publicly until charged. “Non-recent allegations are, by their very nature, complex and difficult matters to investigate and can take a considerable amount of time. We appreciate that waiting for a conclusion will undoubtedly have caused additional distress to all those involved and we have made every effort to ensure this has been as timely as possible.
“I was named before I was even interviewed and for me that was like being hung out like ‘live bait’. It is obvious that such strategies simply increase the risk of attracting spurious claims which not only tie up police resources and waste public funds, but they forever tarnish the reputations of innocent people. “However, it is in the interests of justice to investigate such matters thoroughly. We have a duty to explore any allegations relating to sexual abuse and other crimes and will go wherever the evidence takes us in order to protect victims and stop offending.”
“There have been numerous occasions in recent years where this has occurred, and I feel very strongly that no innocent person should be treated in this way. Richard was never arrested during the police investigation. He voluntarily attended police interviews in 2014 and 2015. In February last year, following the publication by Keith Vaz MP of a letter from South Yorkshire’s chief constable revealing the inquiry had expanded, he repeated his denial of any wrongdoing.
“I know the truth and in some peoples’ eyes the CPS’ announcement today doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t expressly state that I am innocent; which of course I am. There lies the problem. “I have no idea where these absurd and untrue allegations come from,” he said.
“My reputation will not be fully vindicated because the CPS’ policy is to only say something general about there being ‘insufficient’ evidence. “I have never in my life assaulted anyone and I remain confident that the truth will prevail.”
“How can there be evidence for something that never took place! This is also a reason why people should never be named publicly until they have been charged unless there are exceptional circumstances.
“To my fans and members of the public, to the press and media, all of whom continued to show me such encouraging and wonderful support, I would like to say “thank you” it would have been so much harder without you.”
More details soon . . .