PR Guru Max Clifford found guilty of sexual abuse

Millionaire publicist Max Clifford has been found guilty of 8 counts of indecent assault at London's Southwark Crown Court.

Branded a Grade-A paedophile, Clifford was the first celebrity to be convicted under Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree and is due to be sentenced later this week.

During the eight weeks trial, the 71 year old has continued to plead not guilty despite being urged by close associates not to.  However, Clifford who is thought to have spent £250,000 on his defence was convinced he would go free.

Originally charged with 11 counts of indecent assault, Clifford was convicted of eight.  With 23 women coming forward to press charges, prosecutors decided to proceed with what they believed to be the strongest cases.

The offences Clifford has been charged with span a period from the mid-seventies to the early 1980's. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on one count which was alleged to have happened in 1966 when the woman claimed the accused groped her in a South London Wimpy bar.

While Clifford has so far refused to apologise to his victims he has described them as "mentally disturbed fantasists, hunting compensation".   During the case he snapped to the prosecutor that, "Their accusations are a fairy story that only you believe".

Throughout his impressive 50 year PR career, Clifford has never been short of a quote but outside the Court rooms yesterday, he was uncharacteristically silent.  Following his conviction, Clifford's only comment to waiting reporters was that his lawyers had told him to say "nothing at all".

A report covering the case in the Daily Mail tells how the publicist 'groomed and molested girls in his yellow Jaguar and young models in his office'.  It is alleged that Clifford threatened them with the words, 'no one will believe you'.

Initially arrested in 2012, Clifford has been bailed on the condition that he spends nights at his £3.5million Surrey mansion. 

The maximum sentence at the time the offences were committed was two years although the Judge warned Clifford, "You must realise that the fact I have given you bail is no indication of what the final sentence will be".

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