Cliff Richard cries in court: I feel infected

Cliff Richard on Friday in the court in London made an emotional report of the 22 months in which he was the subject of investigation into possible child abuse.

'Both mentally and physically,' says Richard, who at one point even feared a heart attack. Richard filed a case against the BBC because the British public broadcaster broadcast images of the raid in the singer's house, with which it started in August 2014, live on television. The singer was accused of child abuse but after investigation these allegations were unjustified. In June 2016 it was announced that he was not prosecuted.

On the second day of the trial against the BBC Richard himself spoke. He told about the impact of the broadcast. 'It was shocking and disturbing. I have suffered greatly in all those months. At one point I thought I would have a heart attack or stroke, 'said the singer.

Richard thought the whole world would now see him as a criminal. 'It felt like everything I had worked in my life slipped out of my hands. I felt infected, and I still feel that way. 'The singer thinks that the BBC has smeared his reputation, he said later sobbing when he listed a list of countries where his name would have been discredited. The Netherlands also featured on the list. 'The police did not, the BBC did that', according to Richard.

A reporter from the BBC had approached the police at the time of the invasion and said they knew about the investigation into Richard. Then the information about the raid was shared. Last year, Richard already arranged with the police. He received a compensation of 400,000 pounds (more than 462,000 euros).

The attorney of Richard, Justin Rushbrooke, denounced the pushy way of working of the BBC on Thursday and demands a 'very substantial' compensation from the British public broadcaster. According to him, the investigation was private and there was no public interest in disclosure.

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