South Yorkshire police have handed the Crown Prosecution Service a file of evidence relating to allegations of historical sex abuse by Cliff Richard.
Prosecutors are now considering whether to bring charges against the bachelor boy.
Sir Cliff, 75, was interviewed in 2014 and 2015 by South Yorkshire Police investigating a claim of a sex crime involving a young boy in the 1980s. He has always denied the claims.
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The Guardian reports:
It has been previously reported that Richard had been accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old at a Christian rally led by the US evangelist Billy Graham in Sheffield in 1985.
Details of the inquiry into the allegations emerged in August 2014 when the BBC revealed police officers had raided the singer’s Berkshire home. The BBC showed helicopter footage of detectives entering the singer’s property after the broadcaster was tipped off about the raid.
An inquiry by MPs on the home affairs select committee found that it was wrong of South Yorkshire police to publicly confirm Richard’s name as a suspect and to then “cut a deal” with the broadcaster.
A report commissioned by the county’s then police and crime commissioner also found that the move “certainly interfered with his privacy and may well have caused unnecessary distress”.
The CPS said on Tuesday it would consider the evidence compiled by police.
A CPS spokeswoman said: “We have received a full file of evidence from South Yorkshire police. We will now carefully consider its contents in line with the code for crown prosecutors, in order to establish whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and whether it is in the public interest to do so.”
A South Yorkshire police spokeswoman said: “Investigation files relating to allegations of non-recent sexual abuse involving a 75 year-old man have been handed over to the CPS. The CPS will now consider the matter and SYP awaits their decision.”
