The BBC has lost a 4-year-long, potentially landmark case against Cliff Richard, who has been awarded an initial payment of £210,000 in damages, over the broadcaster’s report that the singer was being investigated about historical child sexual assault claims.

In a case that delved into detail about the investigative process of journalism, and the apparent failure in communication between the news agency and law enforcement, the BBC warned that the judgment created new case law and represented a “dramatic shift against press freedom”.

Media experts are adamant that the ruling will have an enormous impact on how the British media reports on ongoing police investigations with the case ultimately debating the extent to which the rights of the media to report on an ongoing police investigation outweigh invading an individual’s right to privacy.