Max Clifford

Wish the sun was shining here. It is dull and cool. Never mind, I now have a new front porch, new gutters, and the chimney has been reharled, so I feel the house has a new hat. Must start soon on the garden, the weeds are taking over.

At the time of these offences young girls were much more naive. Girls as young as 11 are much more aware these days than they were when MC was carrying out his attacks. To judge those girls by today's standards is unfair. He was an adult, in a position of authority and they had no idea of how to stop what was happening.

As I see it the common strand to these sex offences whether Stuart Hall, Jimmy Savill, Max Clifford, Cyril Smith or a teacher or a priest is that the perpetrators took advantage of their position either of authority or trust or "celebrity status" and abused not only the boys or girls/women in question but that position itself. That they escaped criminal proceedings on account of their position was appalling and something that is only now being rectified. We have for too long not listened to the victims of abuse, trusting (however wrongly) the word of the people whom they also trusted. Contrition (genuine - not pretend) on the part of the offenders might have been the least one could have expected - not arrogant self-aggrandisement. I have no reason to doubt that the judge in each case will have applied the sentencing guidelines in the proper way and the jury having listened to both prosecution and defence will have arrived at their verdict equally in the proper way. What on earth is the point of saying "Oh they did not hear the truth" or "Oh the judge was biased"? We have a judicial system which (to my way of thinking) perhaps too often errs on the side of leniency, but this week has at last brought verdicts against people who were in a position to know better and act ethically, including MC and Constance Briscoe. (If anybody is unaware of who she is, I am talking about the barrister and judge who lied to the police in the Vicky Pryce/Chris Huhne speeding points business.)

Just read this thread (reluctantly) and Googled to find out who MC is. Like Thatbags I didn't know - ignorance is bliss!
What a disgusting creep, as well as the indecent assaults his whole life seemed to be involved in digging out the sleaziest stories around.
I hope the publicity deters other wouldbe predators (I think I've said that before .)

Deterring other predatory creeps is one of the reasons that it was right to pursue this case. If those in the public eye get away with it if they can cover it up long enough, then others will be tempted to chance it. If it is clear that there is no hiding place, then they may think again.

There may well be lots of 'important people' quaking in their shoes right now, and rightly so.Things are coming out now and there could be all sorts of revelations about previously 'respected' individuals. This shedding light on dark practices will give any young victims of sexual abuse some hope that the police will have to take their complaints seriously.