Clifford accused of sex acts in jail visits by fan, 28
MAX Clifford is under investigation for allegedly performing an indecent act while being visited by a besotted fan in prison, it was claimed yesterday.
The disgraced celebrity publicist was twice accused of performing sex acts in front of the 28-year-old woman.
It was reported that prison bosses are examining complaints from two other inmates about the 73-year-old’s behaviour.
The latest incident is alleged to have taken place at HMP Littlehey, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, two weeks ago. A previous accusation was reported in January.
Staff are understood to be closely monitoring the convicted paedophile, who is serving eight years for historical sex offences.
If caught in the act he could face a fresh police investigation for indecency, although at the moment the complaints are being dealt with by the prison authorities. One option could be to restrict his visits to ‘closed’ sessions in which inmates are made to sit behind a glass screen while under supervision. Or they could be refused completely.
Clifford could also be punished with the loss of privileges. The woman is not believed to have complained about his alleged actions. A source told The Sun: ‘It takes a lot for other prisoners to report anyone as they don’t like to be seen as grasses – but this has really sickened them.
‘This girl is a lot younger than Clifford and has been visiting him for a while.
‘But he has now been reported by other prisoners for apparently doing things to himself while she was sitting opposite him.
‘He usually wears a tracksuit during visits, which take place in a visiting room while other relatives and friends are about. He sits behind a desk and she is opposite him and presumably knows what he is doing.’
Clifford was jailed for eight years in May 2014 for eight historic sexual assaults on four teenagers aged 15 to 19. South- wark Crown Court judge Anthony Leonard said Clifford had groomed and degraded his victims. Clifford insists he is innocent and his legal team are working on an appeal.
He was the first high-profile defendant to be convicted as a result of the Met’s Operation Yewtree, launched after Jimmy Savile was outed as a prolific paedophile.
In July Clifford was cleared of indecently assaulting a teenage girl after her own mother dramatically confessed she did not believe her story.
During the trial he revealed that he had settled into life at Littlehey, where he said he was writing a book and enjoying games of tennis. The multi-millionaire said he was also helping other inmates facing prejudice and discrimination as an official ‘equalities rep’.
But the source added: ‘Clifford is not popular. He has an incredibly seedy reputation in the jail.
‘Staff and inmates think it is odd, to say the least, that this pretty young woman is visiting him at all.
‘He is 45 years older than her and they are not related or anything – so it is hard to see why she is coming in to see him.’
His daughter Louise said: ‘Max denies these allegations. He has been recommended for Category D status and has an appeal lodged against his convictions.’
A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘ We do not comment on individuals.’