Sir Cliff Richard awarded £210,000 in damages after winning privacy battle with BBC | City A.M.
Pop star Sir Cliff Richard has won £210,000 in damages from the BBC after the broadcaster televised a police raid of his home while he was being investigated for historic child sexual assault claims.
The case against Richard was eventually dropped, but the musician argued the BBC’s coverage which filmed the raid from helicopters caused him significant emotional distress.
The judge awarded Richard £190,000 damages as well as £20,000 aggravated damages after the BBC nominated the story for the Royal Television Society’s scoop of the year award.
Additional payments for financial damages like loss of money from cancelled concerts are to be assessed, and could be handed down in the future.
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Damages will be paid 35 per cent by Yorkshire Police and 65 per cent by the BBC.
The judgement comes four years after the BBC covered the raid at Richard’s home in South Yorkshire.
Richard said after the trial: “I’m choked up. I can’t believe it. It’s wonderful news.”
BBC: Verdict spells bad news for press freedom
In a statement, the director of news and current affairs at the BBC Fran Unsworth apologised for the “distress that Sir Cliff has been through,” but warned the ruling, which said the naming of Sir Cliff Richard was unlawful, could have a detrimental effect on the freedom of the press in future.
“The judgment creates new case law and represents a dramatic shift against press freedom and the long-standing ability of journalists to report on police investigations, which in some cases has led to further complainants coming forward,” she said.
“This isn’t just about reporting on individuals. It means police investigations, and searches of people’s homes, could go unreported and unscrutinised.
“It 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.
“We don’t believe this is compatible with liberty and press freedoms, something that has been at the heart of this country for generations.”
Unsworth also said the BBC was looking to appeal the verdict.