Lawyers say Cliff Richard suffered 'profound' damage after he was named as sex offender suspect

Cliff Richard has suffered "profound and long-lasting" damage after being publicly named as a suspected sex offender, lawyers say.

Lawyers say Cliff Richard suffered 'profound' damage after he was named as sex offender suspect

Cliff Richard has suffered "profound and long-lasting" damage after being publicly named as a suspected sex offender, lawyers say.

The singer has sued the BBC and South Yorkshire Police in the wake of publicity about a police raid on his home - and says the BBC added "insult to injury" by entering its coverage in a "Scoop of the Year" journalism contest.

Detail of his complaints have emerged in paperwork lodged by his lawyers at the High Court in London pending the start of any court hearings.

Lawyers say Cliff Richard has sold the apartment which was raided because the prospect of living somewhere which had been "so publicly violated" distressed him.

They say the furore threw his "creative and business plans "into disarray - and forced him to delay the release of an album of "Rock 'n' Roll classics".

They add he has already run up more than £1m in lawyers' bills.

South Yorkshire Police said today that bosses had apologised to the singer for distress and anxiety caused.

Richard's lawyers have filed written "particulars of claim" at the High Court.

Paperwork shows that the 76-year-old singer is suing the BBC and South Yorkshire Police in the wake of a raid at his apartment in Sunningdale, Berkshire in England, in August 2014.

He is alleging that his privacy was invaded and wants "very substantial" damages.

Lawyers say the BBC broadcast a "major story" on the day of the raid after making an agreement with South Yorkshire Police.

They say South Yorkshire Police contravened guidance on "relationships with the media".

Lawyers say in late 2013 a man had made an allegation to the Metropolitan Police - saying he had been sexually assaulted by Richard at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane football stadium, in Sheffield, when a child in 1985.

Metropolitan Police officers had passed the allegation to South Yorkshire Police in July 2014.

Richard had denied the allegation "as soon as it was brought to his attention", and in June 2016 prosecutors announced that he would face no charges.

The particulars of claim have been written by barristers Justin Rushbrooke QC and Godwin Busuttil.

They name "Sir Cliff Richard, OBE" as the claimant and the BBC and the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police as defendants.

"The damage to the claimant has been profound and long-lasting," the 26-page document says.

"He had to endure nearly two years of living with the stigma of having been as under investigation for an alleged historic sex offence, and the anxiety of knowing that this was a matter of public knowledge."

The document adds: "The BBC has added insult to injury by adamantly refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing."

Lawyers said the BBC had "sought to defend its conduct" on a "manifestly unsustainable basis".

They said a "purported apology" had been "too little, too late".

The particulars of claim add: "In early 2015, the BBC added yet further insult to injury, and knowingly caused the claimant yet further distress and embarrassment, by submitting its broadcast coverage to the Royal Television Society's Television Journalism annual awards, in the category of 'Scoop of the Year'."

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