One couple, my neighbours for several decades, were approached by Surrey Police, who attempted to persuade them that I could bring my old Rolls Royce into the mews and park outside my house, to back up one of the many lies by a false accuser. They told them again and again that this would have been impossible and the man was clearly lying.

What was more, they added, they demanded to tell the Court and the Jury that, in the many years of living next to me, they had never seen or suspected any kind of similar activity to that being claimed. Indeed they were prepared to swear, on oath, that nothing like this had ever happened and that they had wanted to say this at my trial 18 years ago (when they were still living there).

Surrey Police were not keen at all for this to be revealed and told them their evidence would not be needed.

So the couple contacted me and asked if they could come to court on my behalf (my lawyers were, of course, delighted). They were all lined up and booked to appear (cancelling a holiday in South Africa to do so). As we all know, in the event they were not needed but a) what a decent, kind and honourable way to behave and b) how disgraceful that police are allowed to get away with deliberately trying to pervert the course of justice, when their job is (or should be) to try to find the truth.

Only last week I discovered that a friend of mine, a very successful music industry figure, had been called and had been urged by police to back up a totally fictional tale, later dropped and discredited even before charges were laid. He of course, refused and contacted a friend of his (who happens to be a very serious front bench MP), who was equally disgusted and assured him that he would hear no more (which he did not).

None of this was disclosed to the defence before or during the trial (as, of course, legally, was required).

Further evidence that police and CPS deliberately fail to disclose useful defence evidence and, worse, deliberately conspire to assist false accusers - in many cases even provoking false claims, as pointed out by HHJ Taylor, in order to protect the reputation of the police.

No wonder so many members of the public no longer respect our police or judicial system. No wonder, now, increasingly more and more groups are considering suing police, CPS and even the outgoing DPP, Alison Saunders, who recently bleated “there are no innocent people in prison”.

Well, Alison, if you end up locked away in one of our delightful jails, you certainly will not have been innocent.