Singer Cliff Richard wins BBC privacy case, sparking media alarm
Singer Cliff Richard wins BBC privacy case, sparking
media alarm
By Alice RITCHIE AFP • July 18, 2018
London (AFP) - Veteran British pop star Cliff Richard won
a privacy case against the BBC on Wednesday after it broadcast live on
television a police raid on his home, in a ruling the broadcaster warned
threatened press freedom.
High Court Judge Anthony Mann said the BBC had infringed
Richard's rights in a "serious" and "somewhat sensationalist
way" and awarded him at least £210,000 ($274,000, 236,000 euros) in
damages.
The 77-year-old singer, who was never charged with any
offence, was applauded by fans as he left court, and they sang his hit song
"Congratulations".
Britain's first home-grown pop star later said senior
managers at the BBC "have to carry the can".
"If heads roll then maybe it's because it was
deserved," he told ITV News. "It's too big a decision to be made
badly. It was nonsense."
The BBC said it would consider an appeal, saying the
ruling "represents a dramatic shift against press freedom and the
long-standing ability of journalists to report on police investigations".
Richard's home was raided in 2014 as part of an
investigation into an allegation of sexual assault involving a young boy dating
back to the 1980s.
The BBC's live coverage, including a helicopter, was
picked up around the world, but the singer was never arrested or charged and
was told in 2016 there was insufficient evidence against him.
"My life was effectively turned upside down and my
reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged," Richard said at the
start of the case.
- 'Sorry for the distress' -
The BBC heard about the investigation by South Yorkshire
Police and cut a deal in which they agreed to delay breaking the story in
return for a tip-off about the raid on Richard's home.
The judge awarded £190,000 in general damages plus
another £20,000 "aggravated damages" because the BBC nominated the
story for a "Scoop of the Year" award, which it did not win.
Richard is also entitled to further sums for the
financial impact of the case, which will be decided another time.
The police force has already agreed to pay Richard
£400,000 after settling a claim.
In a statement, the BBC said it was "sorry for the
distress Sir Cliff has been through".
It admitted there were "things we would have done
differently, however the judge has ruled that the very naming of Sir Cliff was
unlawful".
"So even had the BBC not used helicopter shots or
ran the story with less prominence, the judge would still have found that the
story was unlawful; despite ruling that what we broadcast about the search was
accurate," it said.
The ruling "will make it harder to scrutinise the
conduct of the police and we fear it will undermine the wider principle of the
public's right to know", it said.
- 'Shockingly bad' -
"We don't believe this is compatible with liberty
and press freedoms," the statement said, adding that it was "looking
at an appeal".
Tony Gallagher, the editor in chief of Britain's
best-selling The Sun tabloid, also railed against the "shockingly
bad" ruling.
"Victory for (alleged) criminals and money-grabbing
lawyers. Terrible for media," he tweeted.
In the House of Commons, an MP suggested formally
changing the law to make it illegal for the media to name suspects until they
are charged.
But Prime Minister Theresa May, who looked into the issue
in her previous job as interior minister, expressed scepticism.
She noted "there may well be cases where the
publication of a name enables other victims to come forward and therefore, to
strengthen the case against an individual".
She said it was an "issue for careful
judgement" in which both police and media must recognise their
responsibilities.
Richard, who burst onto the pop scene in the late 1950s,
is the third biggest-selling artist in British singles chart history, behind
The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
His hits include "The Young Ones", "Living
Doll", "Summer Holiday", "Mistletoe And Wine" and
"The Millennium Prayer".
There has been a wave of accusations of historical sex
abuse against prominent figures in Britain since 2012, when the late BBC
presenter Jimmy Savile was revealed to be a serial paedophile.
Comments
Post a Comment