Celebrity publicist Max Clifford has this afternoon been found guilty of 8 indecent assaults on women and girls as young as 15-years-old by a jury in Britain today.
Clifford was arrested and charged as part of Operation Yewtree, the police investigation into historic allegations of assaults and sexual abuse of children following the revelations about Jimmy Savile in 2012. This is the first successful prosecution in the investigation for police.
71-year-old Clifford, whose clients have included Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Simon Cowell, and Marlon Brando, is said to have used his star status as a cover to abuse young women in a series of attacks dating back to the 1970s and '80s. He was cleared of two other charges of indecent assault, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on another charge after deliberating for 32 hours.
The jury heard throughout Clifford's trial that he 'was a 'master in the art of intimidation and manipulation' and used his office in central London as a 'sexual fiefdom', preying on young women who he promised to introduce to influential showbiz types and celebrities in exchange for sexual favours.
Prosecuting lawyer Rosina Cottage summed up the trial by describing Clifford as an 'arrogant' risk-taker. 'He has managed to portray himself in different ways to different people, but don't be fooled, In every case his actions were sudden, unexpected and, frankly, in some cases so bizarre you may think these young women and girls have no idea how to react.'
Currently on bail, Clifford will be sentenced on Friday.
Via BBC/The Guardian
