Sir Cliff Richard: Singer feared dying of heart attack after facing child sex assault claims

Cliff felt he was ‘going to die’ after claims

Sir Cliff Richard has said he thought he was “going to die of a heart attack” after he faced child sexual assault allegations.

The singer, 81, who was never arrested or found guilty and denied the claims, was publicly named over an allegation against him after a police raid on his home in 2014.

He said being falsely accused could “completely destroy you” as he urged people to back the campaign to change the law so suspects have anonymity unless they are charged.

Speaking in the House of Lords on Wednesday, he branded the internet a “disaster area for most people now”, claiming his name will “forever” be on the dark web “as the man accused of the dastardly deed”.

He said at points he would awake with his pulses racing and feared he was “going to die of a heart attack”.

“I can’t express it strongly enough to know what it’s like to be an innocent man and also know that the person that accused you has anonymity in perpetuity,” he said.

“I’m past that terrible time but will I ever get over it? The answer is no.”

Sir Cliff won his privacy case against the BBC over its coverage of a South Yorkshire Police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014, after a child sex assault allegation.

In June 2016 prosecutors announced that he would face no charges.

Read the full article at Sky News.