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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Chris Johnston and agencies

Police question Cliff Richard over claim of sex crime from 1980s

Sir Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard was also interviewed under caution by detectives last year. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe for the Guardian

Sir Cliff Richard has been re-interviewed by South Yorkshire police after meeting officers voluntarily, his spokesman said on Thursday night.

Detectives interviewed the entertainer under caution last year in relation to a claim of a sex crime involving a young boy in the 1980s, but he was not arrested or charged.

A spokesman said Richard spoke to officers again this week.

“Sir Cliff Richard voluntarily met with and was interviewed by members of South Yorkshire police. He was not arrested or charged, nor has he ever been,” he said.

“He cooperated fully with officers and answered the questions put to him. Other than restating that the allegations are completely false and that he will continue to cooperate fully with the police, it would not be appropriate for Sir Cliff to say anything further at this time.”

It emerged in February that the police investigation into allegations that Richard was involved in a sex crime involving a boy has expanded to look at more than one allegation.

The chief constable of South Yorkshire police, David Crompton, said in a letter to Keith Vaz, chair of the home affairs select committee, that detectives were involved in a growing inquiry into allegations against the singer, who denied all wrongdoing.

But Richard’s lawyers went on to criticise the committee for publishing the letter, claiming the disclosure had caused him a “further round of unnecessary and extremely damaging media coverage”.

The 75-year-old singer said in a statement that the claims against him were “absurd and untrue” and he had “never, in my life, assaulted anyone”.

The letter was published a day after details of an independent report were released, which criticised the South Yorkshire force for releasing highly confidential information to the BBC about a planned search of the singer’s home.

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