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| Police complain over Sir Cliff Richard search 'leak' | Police complain over Sir Cliff Richard search 'leak' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| South Yorkshire Police have complained to the BBC after the broadcaster gained details of a search the force was planning to conduct at pop star Sir Cliff Richard's home. | |
| Officers carried out the search in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Thursday. | Officers carried out the search in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on Thursday. |
| The force says it was "disappointing" the BBC was slow to acknowledge the force was not the source of the "leak". | The force says it was "disappointing" the BBC was slow to acknowledge the force was not the source of the "leak". |
| Sir Cliff, 73, said the allegation of an historical sex offence against a boy under 16 is "completely false". | Sir Cliff, 73, said the allegation of an historical sex offence against a boy under 16 is "completely false". |
| BBC cameras and a reporter were outside the gates to Sir Cliff's property when eight police officers arrived. | |
| In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said it was contacted some weeks ago by a BBC reporter "who made it clear he knew of the existence of an investigation. It was clear he was in a position to publish it." | |
| "The force was reluctant to co-operate but felt that to do otherwise would risk losing any potential evidence, so in the interests of the investigation it was agreed that the reporter would be notified of the date of the house search in return for delaying publication of any of the facts." | |
| Police later said "a number of people" have "provided information" after the search. | |
| In its statement, South Yorkshire Police added that "contrary to media reports", the decision to involve the BBC "was not taken in order to maximise publicity, it was taken to preserve any potential evidence". | |
| Jonathan Munro, the BBC's head of newsgathering, wrote on Twitter on Friday that South Yorkshire Police had not been the source of the story. | |
| But South Yorkshire Police says a letter of complaint has been sent to the Director General of the BBC making it clear that the broadcasters appears to have contravened its editorial guidelines. | |
| "South Yorkshire Police would welcome an investigation into the original leak," it added. |