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Sir Cliff Richard has sparked outrage by suggesting he would rather see 10 criminals go free than one innocent person suffer.

The singer, who was wrongly accused of sexual assault, made the comment during an appearance on Loose Women.

Earlier this year the 78-year-old won a High Court case against the BBC over coverage of a police raid on his home and has never faced criminal charges.

He told the show: "There’s not just a few of them [wrongly accused], there’s an army of us. I’ve had so many letters.

"Some people have spent two years in prison and been innocent.

"It’s the danger of if we don’t change the law it’s going to keep happening to innocent people.

"When I was in the court with the BBC I saw a quote that I loved, a judge Blackstone from way back, said: 'I would rather 10 guilty people escape than one innocent person suffer'."

Sir Cliff was referencing Blackstone's ratio. William Blackstone stated in the Commentaries on the Laws of England, which was published in the 1760s, that “the law holds that it is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer”.

His remarks have sparked outrage on social media.

One Twitter user said: “Cliff Richard just said one of the stupidest and most offensive things I’ve ever heard in television.

“Did he just say he’d rather 10 guilty sex offenders go free than one person be wrongly accused?

“Maybe I misheard… Insane.”

Another said: "Cliff Richard repeating his line that he'd rather 10 guilty rapists walk the streets than 1 innocent person be investigated on #LooseWomen is gross and abhorrent."

“He’s turned my stomach saying that 10 guilty men should go free to save one whose [sic] innocent. Absolute disgrace," another person added.

Sir Cliff was awarded more than £210,000 after he sued the BBC and South Yorkshire Police over the damage done to his reputation and career earlier this year.

He said he was left "shocked and upset" when helicopter footage of officers searching his Berkshire home was screened on the 1pm news.