Sex-abuse case against pop star Sir Cliff Richard dropped, cops say 'sorry'
After a lengthy police investigation into allegations of sex abuse of youths decades ago, singer Sir Cliff Richard said Thursday in London he is pleased with prosecutors' decision to drop the inquiry.
The Crown Prosecution Service concluded there is "insufficient evidence" to prosecute him. The South Yorkshire Police, which raided Richard's home in 2014, apologized "wholeheartedly" for their handling of the case, which included allowing the BBC to film the raid.
Richard, 75, said in a statement Thursday he is "obviously thrilled that the vile accusations and the resulting investigation have finally been brought to a close." But he said the prosecutors' announcement did not go far enough because it did not state he is innocent.
"My reputation will not be fully vindicated because the CPS' policy is to only say something general about there being 'insufficient' evidence.' How can there be evidence for something that never took place?"
A popular star in Britain since the 1950s, Richard said he had cooperated fully with the investigation of allegations made by men who claimed Richard had sexually abused them as teens in episodes dating as far back as 1958.
Richard was questioned by detectives in 2014 but wasn't arrested or charged. He strongly denied the accusations but had not spoken publicly until Thursday.
His statement condemned the police tactics and noted the "widely-shared sense of injustice resulting from the high-profile fumbling of my case from day one." He said people who are facing criminal allegations should not be named publicly until charged.
"I was named before I was even interviewed and for me that was like being hung out like 'live bait,' " his statement said. "It is obvious that such strategies simply increase the risk of attracting spurious claims which not only tie up police resources and waste public funds, but they forever tarnish the reputations of innocent people."
Richard is not as well known in the USA, but his British heyday was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, just before the Beatles burst onto the music scene.
But he is still performing, including for Queen Elizabeth II at her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The queen had knighted him in 1995 for his services to music and charity, making him the first British rock star to be so honored.
"To my fans and members of the public, to the press and media, all of whom continued to show me such encouraging and wonderful support, I would like to say 'thank you,' it would have been so much harder without you," his statement concluded.
Contributing: The Associated Press