Paul Gambaccini sues police for £150k after celebs shun him over false sex claim
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Paul Gambaccini is suing police for up to £150,000 after being shunned by “high-profile celebrities” when he was falsely accused of sexual abuse.
The BBC Radio 2 presenter has launched the case against Scotland Yard after he was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the inquiry into allegations that followed revelations about Jimmy Savile.
Court papers reveal Mr Gambaccini, 71, claims information released by the force led to him being identified, which had a “catastrophic effect on all aspects” of his life.
They state: “He was extremely distressed and upset to be publicly suspected of sexual crimes, and the implications this would have…
“Although the allegations were false, some of the Claimant’s friends, colleagues and contacts shunned him, and his relationship with these people have not all been restored.
“These included several high-profile celebrities.”
(Image: PA)
Suspended
He was not invited back to the Music Industry Trusts Awards Dinner, an event he had hosted annually since 1997 and he was suspended by the BBC while on bail.
The claim states he was edited out of ITV’s The Nation’s Favourite Elvis Songs and the Life of Rock with Brian Pern on BBC4.
Stonewall, the LGBT charity, and Amnesty International, dropped him, the papers claim.
Mr Gambaccini was arrested in October, 2013, and spent a year on bail facing “completely fictitious” allegations before the case was dropped.
His friend Sir Cliff Richard also faced false accusations.
(Image: Mirrorpix)
Mr Gambaccini has issued court proceedings for “misuse of private information” which led to him being identified.
The papers state he is seeking, “damages over £100,000 but not exceeding £150,000”.
Mr Gambaccini is represented by Hugh Tomlinson QC and the legal costs for both sides are expected to reach many tens of thousands.
The DJ says public comments made by the Met were in breach of its own guidelines and his legal right to a, “reasonable expectation of privacy” under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Met did not name him, but referred to his age and the fact he lived in South London.
(Image: PA)
This contributed to him being identified, the papers state.
The DJ was falsely accused of molesting two young men – whom he does not recall ever meeting – in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Met, represented by Anne Studd QC, states in a defence
document filed at the High Court in London: “The Defendant denies that the information released amounted to private information.”
It added: “The claim for misuse of private information and/or breach of privacy is denied.”
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