A public outcry against the sleazy treatment of Cliff Richard, by both the police, the BBC, and whatever 'informant' was involved in leaking details of the police raid to the BBC has resulted in hundreds of complaints being received by the BBC regarding their presence at a police investigation at Cliff's Berkshire residence, while he was in Portugal. Cliff has called the accusations made against him "completely false."
Accordingly, Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman, Keith Vaz, has called on the BBC to explain how and why they were notified of the raid on Cliff's Sunningdale residence in advance.
There's a blizzard of bluster going on, of course, fingers pointing here, there and everywhere, with the South Yorkshire Police stating that they were basically blackmailed into providing the information about the raid to a "BBC reporter." Additionally, Chief Constable David Crompton, in his letter to Mr. Vaz, accuses the BBC of a "cover up."
The BBC responded that the media has a right to report stories that are in the public interest. Er - so the laws of the land apparently have no effect on a pack of press hounds in hot pursuit of a person who has not been charged with anything whatsoever? Because a 'victim' comes forward with a story that has yet to stand the test of a trier-of-fact, now 'they must be believed.' I think it high time this inappropriate circus stopped. You can't go making wild accusations any longer folks, or if you do, it'll be an entirely private matter between the authorities, the accused, and the accuser. It is NOT the business of the public until charges are brought.
In the meantime, Cliff remains on his summer holiday in Portugal, is happy to cooperate with any investigation, but nobody appears to have shown up, nor is he required to return to England for any reason.
On Thursday, August 28, 2014, BBC Director General Tony Hall, and Chief Constable David Crompton of the South Yorkshire Police will appear before the Committee to answer serious questions about police procedures and the role of the media.
MPs to quiz BBC and police bosses over Cliff Richard raid.
And about time.
UPDATE: On Saturday, August 23, 2014, without fanfare and screeches from the media, Cliff Richard flew into the UK and met with the police in Yorkshire, then flew back to the Algarve to host a dinner gathering. He was all smiles and in good spirits. He continues to deny the accusations, and he was not charged with anything.
Cliff flies to the UK for interview with police.
Cliff did fly back to the UK and speak to Police but is back in Portugal now. That's according to this article in the Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2733383/Cliff-party-Portugal-police-quiz-UK-Pop-star-appears-good-spirits-lunch-friends.html
Posted by: Rabbit Away | 08/26/2014 at 01:07 PM
This whole "historic allegations" nonsense has been fuelled via the internet, as I know that you are only too aware of, from the years of Duncroft scheming you became privy to. In that sense, this is the pattern. There have been internet mumblings about Cliff for several years, with photographs of him with Bob Boothby etc as "evidence" about him. It is the "joining of dots" writ large. There are even more outrageous conspiranoid ramblings about ex-UK-PM Ted Heath. He's long dead but the mainstream media have chosen to never pillory him publicly, but of course the dead Liberal eccentric MP Cyril Smith has been duly turned over as a "paedo" instead.
The collective loss of rationality by the UK judicial and political authorities is what lies behind all of this. As soon as Operation Yewtree felt able to state Jimmy Savile was guilty of crime, then the gates were opened for anyone to "allegate" anything. All you need is some internet steam, a willingly gullible police authority and the CPS state-lawyers will play the game too. Read all about it. In that sense the medi are just the Propaganda Dept..
I hope Cliff can be instrumental in destroying this ugliness that the UK system has spawned.
The play that the film Serious Charge was based on, revolved around a false accusation of homosexual assault by a vicar upon a "tearaway". Patrick McGoohan made his theatrical name in London in 1955, playing the vicar, as it happens.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/11417707@N04/1354740731/
Posted by: Moor Larkin | 08/26/2014 at 01:35 AM