Max Clifford Defiant As He Faces Sentencing

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Shamed publicist Max Clifford has refused to apologise to his victims after arriving at court to be sentenced for eight sex offences.

The PR guru initially said nothing as he spent nearly five minutes posing for photographers, at times standing on the street with his hands in his pockets.

But when asked by Sky's Tom Parmenter whether he had anything to say to his victims, he replied: "I stand by everything I've said in the past - everything."

The 71-year-old, who was wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt and jeans, was then asked if that included his description of the women as "liars" and "fantasists".

Clifford climbs out of his car to face a bank of press photographers

At that point he walked off and took the time to pose for more pictures before entering the court.

Earlier, Clifford, who is currently in a cell at the court awaiting sentencing at 2pm, admitted today was "not the best day of my life", adding: "I just have to face up to it."

Legal experts say Clifford faces at least two years in jail, as the judge will have to use guidelines in force when the offences were committed in the 1970s and 1980s.

If the offences had been committed in the last decade, he could have been given a life sentence because two of the guilty verdicts on a 15-year-old female victim involved serious sex crimes.

Clifford said he continues to 'stand by' everything he said in court

As well as his freedom, Clifford is expected to lose his high-profile PR business, which is set to close.

Max Clifford Associates, founded more than 20 years ago, was the go-to place for people wanting to promote their kiss-and-tell stories, as well as for celebrity clients including Simon Cowell.

Workers were in tears as Clifford was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault against four women aged between 15 and 19 during an eight-year period from 1977.

The dozen all-female staff he employs were regulars in the public gallery at Southwark Crown Court but they are now all expected to lose their jobs.

Clifford's car parked outside the offices of his PR firm in April

Employee Ann Duffy, who broke down in tears as the verdicts were returned, told Sky News: "This is the biggest injustice and I'm very distraught."

Other staff members said it had been "the most awful week".

The company's website was inaccessible within hours of the guilty verdicts being returned, as a "horrified" Cowell cut links with Clifford, as did Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis.

Clifford's daughter Louise and several employees supported him at court

A source close to the PR firm said: "The girls ... know at the end of the day they're all going to lose their jobs.

"No one wants anything to do with the company and clients are distancing themselves."

The source added: "The Max that I know has always been a kind, generous and helpful person who has been a fantastic father.

"I hope he can spend his time in prison working out where things have gone wrong for him and come out and be the best person he can."

One of Clifford's employees told Sky News she had been left "distraught"

It has also emerged that earlier this year, Clifford took out an unexplained £3.5m mortgage on his Surrey mansion.

It is suggested he wanted to put his money out of reach of victims looking for compensation.

Clifford in the 1990s with Antonia de Sancha, one of his best-known clients

During the trial, he accused his victims of "jumping on a bandwagon" and trying to "cash in" by selling their stories.

There is also speculation that his wife of four years, Jo, is looking to divorce him.

She was noticeably absent during his trial, during which she was not called as a character witness, and was seen last month without her wedding ring.

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