Crikey, now Max Clifford has been arrested...

[headfairy]

by officers on Operation Yewtree. Where's it going to end? Is anyone not a sexual offender?*

• Yes I know plenty aren't.

[DreamsTurnToGoldDust]

Can someone clear up though, is it a case of someones name being released by law or just that a name is leaked and its not an offence to name someone, god, even I`m confused now!

[chipstick10]

Sky news have reporter Martin brunt outside the cop station and Clifford is apparently about to give a press statement.

[MrsjREwing]

Martin Brunt?

[chipstick10]

He is the sky news crime correspondent

[boschy]

gosh I got deleted from this thread, but not the other one in this section. I think I said pretty much the same thing in both, and didnt think I was libellous at all given that the only name I mentioned was mentioned both before and after my post....

[Rindercella]

I remembered this morning that Clifford represented the woman who falsely accused Neil & Christine Hamilton of rape and sexual assault a few years ago (it was proven that they'd never met the woman, much less abused her). Clifford actually had to pay damages to the Hamiltons for the 'highly offensive' comments he made at the time.

Perhaps because I am not particularly keen on the man, I find it sweetly ironic that he is now under investigation himself for highly offensive crimes.

[MrsjREwing]

The chap that gave the Hamilton's their alaby was that Derek Laud or something like that, off Big Brother, he has an interesting background.

[Rindercella]

Did they need an alibi? I thought it was proven that they had never met her?

[PottedShrimp]

Thats right, they had never met her, let alone Christine sat on her face.

[EldritchCleavage]

Nice bit of snide innuendo about Derek Laud there.

[chipstick10]

I am no fan of the hamiltons, not by a long chalk but what he said about them at the time was rotten. I will not apologise for saying it couldn't have happened to a more deserving b....rd. he is a nasty individual who has been afforded way way too much power.
He and his like are what is wrong with celeb culture. He's a slimy piece of work.

[Rindercella]

I couldn't have said it better Chip.

[catwomanlikesmeatballs]

Anybody can make allegations about someone from decades ago and it is often impossible for a person to prove themselves innocent. If you claimed that someone robbed/mugged/punched you at some point in the distant past and could provide no evidence to support your claims, the police would tell you that there's nothing they can do. Why should someone who makes sexual allegations be treated any differently? There is no justice if peoples reputations can be ruined and their lives torn apart on the basis of a possibly false allegation that they don't even have the opportunity to disprove.

A couple of years ago a neighbour of mine had false allegations made against him from years beforehand. Luckily for him he had been working abroad and not in the country during the years when he was alleged to being committing these offences. If he hadn't he would probably be in prison and his reputation in tatters on the word of a (now proven) liar.

Some people lie and the media and police seem to be encouraging those types with appeals to join the witch hunt. Who knows how many of these men are innocent. When one or two of them are publicly proven to be innocent, there will be a public backlash that will place all genuine victims under suspicion and real rapists and sex offenders will go free as juries are influenced by that.

[bunchamunchycrunchycarrots]

cat, do you genuinely believe that hundreds of people have sat and waited decades to then 'jump on the band wagon' now? Do you not think that the volume of those coming forward is what has tipped the balance in the police actually having corroboration where some of those arrested are concerned? Clifford referred to one incident back in 1977, but we have no way to know how much witness evidence the police have to take that to the arrest point, and also to seek a search warrant. I'd rather wait and see how this proceeds than take the view that this must be a malicious false allegation without any way of knowing. Would you say the same thing about JS victims? Or is their sheer number the tipping point for you to think that is more than just a number of people waiting decades to then jump on the bandwagon?

I'm sure Clifford has the best legal representation money can buy and will strenuously defend himself, with his expertise in making sure his side comes out as well. Ill wait and see how this progresses before I accuse anyone of being a liar, on either side of this situation.

[AmberLeaf]

there will be a public backlash that will place all genuine victims under suspicion and real rapists and sex offenders will go free as juries are influenced by that

That is how it is anyway.

[SpanishFly]

Another arrested this morning - a man in his 60s from London...

[EldritchCleavage]

Cat, please don't call it a witch hunt as though it is a given that all or most of the allegations are false. It's an investigation. And the prospect of people being ruined over accusations that turn out to be false is an argument for not naming people on arrest. it isn't an argument for just packing up and going home and not bothering to investigate.

[SpanishFly]

" it is a given that all or most of the allegations are false."

Is it?

[MrsjREwing]

Someone on the other thread thought the Clifford arrest gave Police access to extra evidence on others.

[EldritchCleavage]

Is that to me? How odd.

I'm not saying that all or most of the allegations are false. Quite the opposite, and that is precisely why I have a problem with this investigation being described as a 'witch hunt'. Witch hunt to me implies a malicious campaign against someone one doesn't like. I simply don't think any of that can be said to apply to Operation Yewtree.

[SpanishFly]

Apologies, Eldritch, I misread the wording of your first sentence - I read "though"as "although" which completely changed the meaning

[EldritchCleavage]

Aha, ok, thanks!

[Xenia]

He certainly has a rather common accent and one imagines a kind of sexist blokey Essex personality thing which may of course be entirely wrong. He may spend his weeks at elocution lessons on feminist awareness courses which trying to lose weight.

I don't understand why some are being named by the police who presumably tip off journalists about early morning raids and some are not. Are the ones who are not named ones who have taken out super injunctions?

[picketywick]

Xenia Its a thought.

[mathanxiety]

There is possibly some method to the madness. Watching reactions of others under investigation when someone's name is released upon arrest may tip off police to step up inquiries or may confirm suspicions in some way. The investigation seems to consist of reopening of old cases or files in the light of new allegations and there are probably lots of names with question marks after them now being combed through.