Now Max is gone and nobody wants to speak ill of the dead but it is necessary to examine his role in the early days of the False Allegations Industry.

We are talking of the end of the last century when his success in obtaining cash for clients who claimed having had sex with celebrities netted him millions. It dawned on several people that this activity could assist in many other areas - getting increased budgets, promotion, praise from Editors, public approval - oh, the advantages were huge.

At this time he had several very wealthy clients, including some people who rather liked his skills at keeping them out of the papers. And in provoking prosecutions of celebrities, sometimes in order to deflect attention from his clients.

In the course of this he made several enemies. Including Neil and Christine Hamilton. So he was delighted when he was approached with a false allegation regarding tax evasion by a woman. Discussing with her the further implications of other claims, preferably involving sex, Max achieved huge success - assisted by the media, which loves a good story.

In this he failed as, luckily, the Hamiltons were able to prove the claims totally false. But the episode could have ruined both their lives.

The entire area was in many ways a more updated form of blackmail (a crime going out of favour - although it may be worth amateur detectives examining a different, unconnected case from 2003 concerning an ex detective/ come media person and a firm of funeral parlours ironically called Dignity) - using new technology and the law changed by then Home Secretary Michael Howard in the 1990s allowing one person’s word to be considered evidence in sex cases.

To me, this was one of the most appalling aspects of Clifford’s behaviour. There are hundreds of people, both male and female, prepared to lie on oath in order to make money, or get revenge, and Max was the “go to” person for many of these would-be criminals.

If backed up by incompetent or, worse, corrupt police or CPS officials, this could become a very dangerous situation indeed.

In this new climate of “presumption of guilt” Max would today make even more millions, had he survived to do so. Can you imagine the high profile celebrities, actors, pop stars, politicians, newspaper editors he could have blackmailed?

If you’re intrigued by this or, indeed, find it hard to believe - I suggest you read this old 2014 article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767792/Fantasist-jailed-2003-falsely-claiming-raped-Neil-Christine-Hamilton-bars-lying-wrongly-telling-police-husband-attacked-samurai-sword.html