Sir Cliff Richard has said he thought he was “dying of a heart attack” after facing charges of child sexual assault.
The 81-year-old singer, who was never arrested or found guilty and denied the allegations, was publicly named for a complaint against him following a police raid on his home in 2014.
He said being falsely accused could “completely destroy you” as he urged people to support the campaign to change the law so that suspects remain anonymous unless they are charged.
Speaking in the House of Lords on Wednesday, he described the Internet as a “disaster zone for most people now”, saying his name would be “forever” on the dark web “as the accused man of the bad deed. “
He said at some point he would wake up with a fast pulse and feared he was “dying of a heart attack.”
“I can’t express it with enough force to know what it’s like to be an innocent man and also to know that the person who accused you has anonymity in perpetuity,” he said.
“I’ve had this terrible time, but will I ever get over it? The answer is no.”
Learn more about Sir Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff wins his case against the BBC for covering a South Yorkshire police raid on his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in August 2014 following a report of child sexual assault .
In June 2016, prosecutors announced that he would not face any charges.
Image: Daniel Janner QC (left), Sir Cliff Richard and DJ Paul Gambaccini campaign for a change in the law
DJ Paul Gambaccini, who was arrested on charges of assault following the Jimmy Savile scandal, spent a year on bail before the case was dropped.
He said he believed the UK was “the most humane country in the world until the events of the last decade proved otherwise”.
Both men were falsely charged with historic sex offenses and joined forces with Falsely Accused Individuals for Reform (Fair), a pressure group, to campaign for changes in legislation.
The fair was founded by Daniel Janner QC, a criminal defense attorney. The group wants the amendment to make it a crime in England and Wales for someone to identify or post information about another person under investigation “with respect to the alleged commission of a sexual offense” unless it is charged or there is a court order. allowing this.
When asked if there was any government support for the proposals, the hearing was told that he would likely face opposition to the Commons and that neither Boris Johnson nor Priti Patel, in previous cabinet functions, had received support.
The group launched a petition in July 2019 to present its argument for changes to the law.