British singer Cliff Richard subject of police investigation into sexual assault on boy
Sir Michael Parkinson brands Cliff investigation a ‘witch hunt’
From ITV
Sir Michael Parkinson has told ITV News the investigation into his friend Sir Cliff Richard and others “feels like some sort of witch hunt”.
He said anyone who has not been charged with a crime should not be named by police or have their names reported in the press.
South Yorkshire Police has complained to the BBC and accused it of breaching its own editorial guidelines after the broadcaster found out about a search the force was planning to carry out at the home of the pop veteran.
Sir Cliff, 73, has strongly denied any wrongdoing, saying an allegation of an historic sexual assault against a boy under 16 was “completely false”.
For more on this story go to: http://www.itv.com/news/story/2014-08-17/sir-michael-parkinson-brands-cliff-investigation-a-witch-hunt/
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Police watchdog calls for BBC to explain Sir Cliff leak
From ITV
The policing watchdog has called for the BBC and the police force to explain the leak about the raid on Sir Cliff Richard’s house.
Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, said if the disclosure was unauthorised it wou
ld contravene the code of ethics and those responsible should be held to account.
He said: “It is paramount that investigations are conducted fairly, impartially and with integrity.
“The BBC have said that it was not South Yorkshire Police who first alerted them to this investigation and have not confirmed where the information came from.
“If the information was an unauthorised disclosure from within policing then it would be contrary to the Code of Ethics and the person concerned should be held to account.
“The presence of a BBC film crew at the scene of a police search, usually a closely guarded secret, has attracted understandable attention. It is for South Yorkshire Police and the BBC to explain the circumstances of this case.”
IMAGE: Sir Cliff’s Berkshire home was searched for five hours on Thursday. Credit: PA
For more on this story go to: http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-08-17/policing-watchdog-calls-for-bbc-to-explain-sir-cliff-leak/
‘Journalistic procedures followed’ on Sir Cliff story
From ITV
The BBC has said normal journalistic practices were followed in its coverage of the search of Sir Cliff Richard’s home following a complaint by South Yorkshire Police.
The broadcaster found out about a search of Sir Cliff Richard’s home in relation to an alleged historical offence, and cameras and reporters were stationed outside the singer’s home as police arrived on Thursday.
The police force accused the broadcaster of breaking its own editorial guidelines, but the BBC insisted “normal journalist practices” were followed.
“A BBC journalist approached South Yorkshire Police with information about the investigation,” a BBC spokeswoman said.
“The BBC agreed to follow normal journalistic practice and not to publish a story that might jeopardise a police inquiry.”
Jonathan Munro, the BBC’s head of newsgathering, said the police force had not been the source of the story, tweeting: “We won’t say who, but can confirm it was not South Yorks Police.”
IMAGE: BBC journalists gathered outside Cliff Richard’s home while searches were carried out. Credit: PA Wire
For more on this story go to: http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-08-17/journalistic-procedures-followed-on-sir-cliff-story/
Cliff Richard in limbo as criticism of police raid keeps growing
By Robert Mendick, Edward Malnick From New Zealand Herald
Richard first became aware of the inquiry when he heard reports that his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, was being raided. Photo / Sarah Ivey
The police inquiry into Sir Cliff Richard came under mounting criticism after Dominic Grieve, a former British attorney-general, called its handling of the case “odd” and “very questionable”.
Grieve, who left the Cabinet last month, accused the police of colluding with the BBC in a move which led to the search of Richard’s home in Berkshire being filmed by the corporation.
Grieve, the most senior politician so far to cast doubt on the police tactics, suggested that the South Yorkshire force might even have been acting in breach of national guidelines in making public its investigation into an allegation that the singer sexually assaulted a boy at a concert almost 30 years ago.
The chorus of criticism grew with complaints by senior lawyers, politicians and fans that Richard was now being kept in a “cruel limbo” while police decide what to do next.
Richard, 73, remained in his villa in the Algarve, Portugal, with his manager, long-time companion and sister offering support. Sources close to the singer said he had yet to be formally asked to return to Britain for a police interview.
South Yorkshire has insisted it is “seeking to speak” to him about the complaint made by his alleged victim more than a year ago. It is thought Richard will eventually be questioned under caution but the sources close to him expressed frustration they remained in the dark about the precise nature of the allegations and how long the inquiry might last.
A police spokesman said: “We cannot give details about the conversations we’ve had with the person in question. The investigation is ongoing and contact with him will form part of that.”
Richard first became aware of the inquiry when he heard reports that his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, was being raided on Friday while he was in Portugal. The BBC had a news crew stationed at the scene in readiness for detectives arriving and broadcast live footage from an overhead helicopter.
Grieve said yesterday: “I can see that police might not want to warn somebody about a search because they fear a suspect will destroy the evidence. But it was much odder to tip off the BBC that they were carrying out the raid.
“That seems quite extraordinary. I have no reason to think they are acting capriciously, but I think it was odd to notify the BBC so they could have journalists there to film the events.
“Unless the police can show the public sound reason for doing that it suggests a collusive relationship with the BBC which is very odd.
“The BBC’s presence is not required. The police have not arrested him or charged him. All they have done is carry out a search of his house so why have they notified the BBC so it could film this operation taking place? I simply don’t understand it. It is very questionable.”
South Yorkshire Police have admitted they had “worked with” the BBC in advance of the raid on Richard’s flat. Jonathan Munro, the BBC’s head of news-gathering, has denied that the force was the source of their tip-off.
Nigel Evans, a Conservative MP, who was cleared of sex offences after a trial this year, said Richard would be enduring “torture and torment” after watching his home being raided. He was now left in a situation “worse than limbo”.
A spokesman said South Yorkshire Police were contacted some weeks ago by a BBC reporter who made it clear he knew of the existence of an investigation.
“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 the reporter would be notified of the date of the house search in return for delaying publication.”
IMAGE: Sir Cliff Richard first became aware of the inquiry when he heard reports that his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, was being raided. Photo / Sarah Ivey Sir Cliff
For more on this story go to: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11310257
Cliff Richard officers may be disciplined over alleged ‘witch-hunt’
By Paul Peachey From The Independent UK
BBC has been heavily criticised over how it broke the story
Police officers have been warned they could face disciplinary action over their dealings with the BBC before the highly public five-hour search of Sir Cliff Richard’s home following an allegation of historic child abuse.
The corporation came under fire from politicians, senior police and one of its former journalists, Sir Michael Parkinson, after it broke the story of the probe into the 73-year-old singer, who was reportedly preparing to return from holiday in Portugal to face police questioning over the affair.
The College of Policing – which has drawn up an ethical code for officers – said South Yorkshire police and the BBC had to explain the circumstances of how the Corporation was made aware of the search at the £3.1m home, which it said was normally a “closely guarded secret”.
“If the information was an unauthorised disclosure from within policing then it would be contrary to the Code of Ethics and the person concerned should be held to account,” said chief constable Alex Marshall, the college’s chief executive.
South Yorkshire police has complained to the BBC and accused it of breaching its own editorial guidelines over filming of the search, which followed an allegation of a sexual assault on a boy under the age of 16 at a Billy Graham evangelical gathering in Sheffield in 1985.
In an interview with ITV, Sir Michael described the treatment of Sir Cliff as a witch-hunt and demanded greater protection for people’s anonymity before any charges were laid.
“I think the BBC did create an error in judgement, not in understanding the story and having the story and trying to follow it through, but in reacting to the story in a kind of way that would have done the red tops credit,” he said.
South Yorkshire Police said it was “disappointing” that the BBC was slow to acknowledge that the force was not the source of the “leak” about the investigation. It acknowledged that it did confirm to a reporter at the corporation the date of the search of Sir Cliff’s house, but only because the BBC had already contacted the force to say it knew about a planned investigation.
Cliff Richard on the set of This Morning last November Cliff Richard on the set of This Morning last November Sir Cliff, who was in Portugal when the search took place, firmly denied any wrongdoing and criticised the fact that BBC journalists were apparently tipped off about the plan.
South Yorkshire police said it was reluctant to cooperate but feared it would lose any potential evidence and struck a deal with the reporter to delay his story in return for being told about the search date.
It said: “Contrary to media reports, this decision was not taken in order to maximise publicity. It was taken to preserve any potential evidence.”
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said he was writing to South Yorkshire police’s chief constable David Crompton to demand an explanation for the force’s actions, saying “serious questions need to be asked” about the handling of the matter, the Telegraph said. The force added it would welcome an investigation into the original leak.
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About Cliff Richard From Wikipedia
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE (born Harry Rodger Webb, 14 October 1940) is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor and philanthropist. He is the third-top-selling singles artist in the United Kingdom’s history, with total sales of over 21 million units in the UK and has reportedly sold an estimated 250 million records worldwide.
With his backing group the Shadows, Richard, originally positioned as a rebellious rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard and Elvis Presley, dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-Beatles period of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His 1958 hit single “Move It” is often described as Britain’s first authentic rock and roll song, and John Lennon once claimed that “before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music.” Increased focus on his Christian faith and subsequent softening of his music later led to a more middle of the road pop image, sometimes venturing into contemporary Christian music.
Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Richard has become a fixture of the British entertainment world, amassing many gold and platinum discs and awards, including three Brit Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards. He has had more than 130 singles, albums and EPs make the UK Top 20, more than any other artist[8] and holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades (1950s–2000s). He has achieved 14 UK No. 1 singles (or 18, depending on the counting methodology) and is the only singer to have had a No. 1 single in the UK in 5 consecutive decades: the 1950s through to the 1990s. In 2008, he celebrated his 50th anniversary in music by releasing a greatest hits album, featuring the new track “Thank You for a Lifetime”, which reached number 3 in the UK singles chart. In November 2013, Richard released his latest album, The Fabulous Rock ‘n’ Roll Songbook, which became the 100th album of his career.
Richard has never achieved the same impact in the United States despite eight US Top 40 singles, including the million-selling “Devil Woman” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, the latter becoming the first to reach the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 in the 1980s by a singer who had been in the top 40 in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In Canada, Richard achieved moderate success in the 1980s with several albums reaching platinum status. He has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Europe and Asia, and he retains a following in other countries.
For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard
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