Shamed PR guru Max Clifford attends his brother's funeral in handcuffs after he is let out of jail on compassionate leave... and manages a smirk and a thumbs-up on his way back
- Allowed out of prison to attend funeral at North East Surrey Crematorium
- Clifford taken to cemetery chapel in handcuffs, flanked by security guards
- Serving eight-year jail sentence after being found guilty of indecent assaults
Shamed former PR guru Max Clifford was allowed out of prison today to attend his older brother’s funeral.
Wearing a blue suit, tie and glasses, the convicted sex offender arrived at the North East Surrey Crematorium in Morden in a blacked-out white Renault van at around 2.15pm.
Clifford, 71, was brought out from the van 300ft from the cemetery chapel in handcuffs, flanked by security guards, before walking indoors for the service.
Clifford stood laughing and smiling with family and friends following the 30-minute service. The paedophile received hugs and kisses on the cheek from other guests.
Clifford's right hand was cuffed to a suit-wearing security guard as he spent 10 minutes speaking with people outside the chapel. He shook hands with guests using his left hand and appeared relaxed.
Let out: Clifford, 71, is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence after being found guilty of indecent assaults
Getting out: A group of security guards waited by the white van as other guests arrived for the service
Security guards in prison uniform patrolled around the crowd as Clifford stood speaking with people. Smiling and waving to the other guests, he was then led back to the waiting prison van.
Clifford then received a final hug by the vehicle from a woman. He stepped up into the back of the van, which was then driven off the site - but not before he gave photographers a thumbs-up.
Clifford - who is at Category C Littlehey jail in Cambridgeshire - was jailed for the indecent assaults carried out between 1977 and 1984, using his celebrity connections to lure women.
A man who saw Clifford arrive at the service said: ‘I saw him come out of the side of the van wearing handcuffs. There were a few big guys with him. He went inside and is sat down in there now.’
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The Ministry of Justice said it does not comment on individuals, but a spokesman said prisoners need to apply to attend a funeral and the prison assesses risk to the public.
It also looks at the prisoner's relationship to the dead person. If permission is granted, the prisoner is normally escorted to the funeral by staff.
In a statement handed out by his daughter Louise, Clifford wrote: ‘This is not the right time or the right place to discuss my situation.
‘I am here purely to pay my tribute to my brother Bernard, or Bunny, as I always called him. Bernard always was to me the serious and political one of the family.
‘He was a kind and caring man who had strong views and opinions and always stood up to be counted. To me he was just a wonderful and caring brother and friend.
‘I am here because I naturally wanted to be and most importantly because Iris and all of the family asked me to be here. My attendance here today was allowed by the Governor of Littlehey Mr Taylor, for which I am very grateful.’
Bernard Clifford was a former mayor of Merton and served on Merton Council as a Labour councillor for the Ravensbury ward in Mitcham and Morden.
He was said to have got his brother his first job in publishing as an editorial assistant at The Eagle.
In the 40 minute service, during which Bernard Clifford was cremated, his wife Iris, and other relatives remembered his life. Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence played as the coffin was lowered.
Passing sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Judge Anthony Leonard told Max Clifford his personality and position in the public eye were the reasons his crimes were not revealed earlier.
The judge said that due to the historic nature of the offences, Clifford was charged under an act from 1956, which set the maximum term for each charge at two years.
Under later legislation passed in 2003, the maximum term would have been 10 years, and for the worst instances would have been charged as rape or assault by penetration, which attract a maximum life term.
The former celebrity agent, who branded his accusers ‘fantasists’, remained defiant ahead of his sentencing, saying: ‘I stand by everything I have said in the last 17 months.’
Clifford has lodged an appeal against his sentence.
The rise and fall of shamed celebrity publicist Max Clifford
Max Clifford, who was born to an electrician and former maid in 1943, carved out a hugely successful career for himself prior to his arrest.
Raised in south London, he left school at 15-years-old with no qualifications and quickly landed himself a job as a reporter on his local paper.
It led to his first job in PR, which would help him become the country’s most infamous publicist over time.
Disgraced PR Guru Max Clifford (pictured in 1992) was particularly well-known for his involvement in celebrity 'kiss-and-tell' stories for tabloid newspapers and represented a number of high-profile clients over the years
He spent years building up his contacts book and soon his PR empire represented a host of high-profile figures from Simon Cowell and Jade Goody to Gary Glitter and Freddie Star.
He was particularly well-known for his involvement in ‘kiss-and-tell’ stories for tabloid newspapers and represented a number of clients including Rebecca Loos – who alleged to have an affair with David Beckham.
With a £3million mansion in Surrey’s stockbroker belt, homes in the Cotswolds and Marbella and with a Rolls-Royce complete with a personal number plate (100 Max), Clifford made the most of his £1million-a-year salary.
However, his career and reputation took a sudden downfall in December 2012 when he was arrested by detectives from Operation Yewtree. He was charged the following April with a string of indecent assaults.
Clifford (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court earlier this year) was jailed for eight years for a string of indecent assaults between 1977 and 1984
The investigation, Scotland Yard's inquiry into historic allegations of sexual offences, was prompted after claims were made against the late DJ Jimmy Savile.
After his arrest in 2012, Clifford was invited on to ITV’s Daybreak, where he claimed he was the victim of a ‘witch hunt’.
Throughout the subsequent trial, he showed no ounce of remorse and regularly displayed a nonchalant and arrogant approach.
He was jailed for eight years at Southwark Crown Court in May after a jury found him guilty of eight counts of indecent assault against teenage girls and young women between 1977 and 1984.
The judge said that if the offences had taken place today – since sentencing guidelines were toughened in 2003 – Clifford would have been regarded as a multiple rapist for which he would have been locked up for life.
The maximum sentence for indecent assault at the time was two years.
The 71-year-old committed the offences after luring and 'degrading' women through his celebrity connections during his high-profile career.
Sentencing Clifford, Judge Leonard said: 'The reason why they were not brought to light sooner was because of your own dominant character and your position in the world of entertainment which meant that your victims thought that you were untouchable, something that I think you too believed.'
For Clifford’s eight offences, the judge gave him a series of sentences of 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, six months, 21 months and 15 months, some to run concurrently and some consecutively, to arrive at a total of eight years.
He is now serving his sentence at Category C Littlehey jail in Cambridgeshire and has lodged an appeal to the Court of Appeal against his sentence.
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