Max Clifford jailed: Scotland Yard to look into fresh sex allegations against publicist
The 71-year-old PR guru was sentenced to eight years in prison on Friday for eight counts of historic indecent assault against young women
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Detectives have said they are investigating fresh allegations against disgraced PR guru Max Clifford, who was jailed for eight years on Friday for a string of indecent assaults against young women.
The 71-year-old has spent his first night in prison after being convicted of eight counts of historic abuse, carried out between 1977 and 1984. He will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Following sentencing a spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed other people had since come forward with allegations.
The spokesman said: “We have received further information and this is currently subject to review.”
Passing sentence at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Anthony Leonard said Clifford had wielded his power and celebrity to take advantage of his victims and conceal his crimes.
Judge Leonard said: “The reason why they were not brought to light sooner was because of your own dominant character and your position in the world of entertainment which meant that your victims thought that you were untouchable, something that I think you too believed.”
He told the veteran media expert: “These offences may have taken place a long time ago, when inappropriate and trivial sexual behaviour was more likely to be tolerated, but your offending was not trivial, but of a very serious nature.”
The judge said that because the offences took place many years ago, Clifford was charged under an act from 1956, which set the maximum term for each charge at two years. Under legislation passed in 2003, the maximum term would have been 10 years, and for the worst instances would have been charged as rape or assault by penetration, which attract a maximum life term.
Clifford’s solicitor has said his client may launch an appeal. The publicist had remained defiant throughout his trial, branding his accusers as “fantasists” and following conviction saying: “I stand by everything I have said in the last 17 months.”
A string of his clients have moved to distance themselves from him in the wake of his conviction, the first under the sex crime inquiry Operation Yewtree.
During his trial, prosecutors portrayed Clifford as a well-practised manipulator, who promised to boost his victims' careers and get them to meet celebrities in exchange for sexual favours.
He offered to get them casting appointments, pretending to be Hollywood bigwigs including Steven Spielberg, James Bond film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Michael Winner on the phone, and bizarrely bragged about having a tiny penis.
Victims included one girl who said Clifford abused her on a number of occasions after he met her family on holiday in Torremolinos in Spain in 1977 when she was 15.
She later wrote him an anonymous letter saying he had made her life “a living hell”.
Another alleged victim, who was an extra in the film Octopussy, claimed she was targeted at Clifford's office in 1981 or 1982, aged 19.
An 18-year-old dancer was also targeted by the PR expert, who took her into a nightclub toilet in the early 1980s and forced her to touch his penis, saying: “Who is going to believe you?”
She said Clifford persuaded her to take a phone call from someone who said if she wanted a screen test, she would have to tell him if Clifford was circumcised.
The court also heard from a number of women as supporting witnesses, whose allegations did not meet the evidential standard required for a prosecution, or in one case happened abroad.
The most serious claim came from a woman who said he forced her to touch his penis when she was just 12 years old during a holiday in Spain. Judge Leonard said if this had not occurred in Spain, at a time when offences abroad could not be charged in the UK, Clifford would have been charged with indecently assaulting that girl too.
The jury cleared Clifford of indecently assaulting another two women, and could not reach a verdict on a third.
Prosecutors said they will not pursue a retrial on that outstanding charge.
How life for Clifford collapsed so spectacularly
Judge Leonard condemned Clifford's “contemptuous” behaviour during the trial, referring to a strange encounter when he was filmed mimicking Sky News reporter Tom Parmenter as he recorded a piece to camera.
Describing the ordeal of the victim who was abused from the age of 15, the judge said: “Not unnaturally, what she looks for is some sort of apology from you or an acknowledgement as to what you have been responsible for.
"She has been extremely upset by your public denials before trial, the reports of your attitude during trial - laughing and shaking your head in the dock at the accusations made against you.
“For my part, I would add something that since the jury have returned verdicts I have discovered, that you appeared behind a reporter outside this court whilst he was making his report of your evidence and during which you mimicked his actions in a way that was designed to trivialise these events.
"I find your behaviour to be quite extraordinary and a further indication that you show no remorse."
Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Orchard said: ”I would like to again thank all the victims for their courage, strength and bravery in coming forward. Without their support we would not have secured this conviction.
"My officers carried out a painstaking investigation to identify all historic and current evidential opportunities without fear or favour to ensure this case was brought to trial.
"I hope this gives other victims the courage to come forward knowing we will make every effort to investigate their claims regardless of the passage of time."
DCI Orchard went on to say that Scotland Yard had seen an additional 1,400 allegations of sexual abuse in the last 12 months.
“Our specially trained officers along with CPS colleagues will continue to work tirelessly to bring sex offenders, whether recent or not, to justice,” he said.
Additional reporting by Press Association