Jailed millionaire hires Max Clifford

Owen Oyston, the millionaire businessman who was convicted of rape last year, has hired public relations expert Max Clifford to help him with his impending appeal against conviction.

Oyston, 64, who owned radio stations in the North-west and was once chairman of Blackpool Football Club, was sentenced a year ago to six years' jail for raping a 16-year-old model.

Mr Clifford, who in the past has advised clients such as actress Antonia de Sancha and Lady Bienvieda Buck on their kiss-and-tell memoirs, will plant stories in the national press portraying Oyston in a positive light. "There iso dispute that Owen Oyston had an awful lot of enemies," he said yesterday. "There is no dispute that Owen Oyston played away from home and there is no dispute that he is arrogant. But he is not a rapist. There are a lot of women I know who know Owen Oyston and they know he's not a rapist."

However, Mr Clifford denied he would be planting kiss-and-tell stories that would portray Mr Oyston as a considerate lover.

"I am arranging interviews for Vicki Oyston, who is the nicest side of the partnership and speaks a lot of sense."

Mr Clifford has been working for Mr Oyston since before he secured permission to appeal against his conviction last month.