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June 15, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 7:50pm

Maximum Impact 16.06.06

By Press Gazette

WHAT I predicted would happen last week regarding Heather Mills- McCartney partly came to fruition on Sunday and has left her with a real uphill battle on her hands. She needs to convince her husband, Paul McCartney, and the British public, that the extremely damning stories involving claims of prostitution in her past that appeared in the News of the World on Sunday are untrue.

If the News of the World story proves to be true — and Heather is threatening to sue in the distant future — then you would assume Heather Mills-McCartney had deceived Paul throughout their relationship.

I will be very interested to learn how much difference it makes to the divorce settlement in deciding exactly how much Heather gets of the vast McCartney fortune.

Heather's past is still creating a feeding frenzy among Fleet Street's finest, but almost every detail of these allegations had been the knowledge of many Sunday tabloid editors for months, or even years.

Although both The Mail on Sunday and the Sunday Mirror had as much, if not more, information than the News of the World, at their disposal, they decided against coming out with any allegations of prostitution concerning Heather.

Funnily enough, the News of the World decision to publish where others feared will make future allegations of a similar nature less certain to make the papers. All of the people being interviewed want large sums of money, and now that the NoW has broken the story, it doesn't have the same impact and potentially the same lift to circulation.

As I write this column, there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes and one or two very famous people, ageing by the minute, desperately hoping that the NoW spoiler will have saved them from exposure. There are many conversations currently going on between lawyers, editors and young ladies with colourful pasts, much of which MCA are involved with.

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AN amazing statement by US States Department spokeswoman, Colleen Graffy, who described the triple suicide at Guantanamo Bay as a good PR move for terrorists. One thing's for certain, all Colleen Graffy achieved by making these comments was absolutely dreadful PR for both herself and the State Department she represents. A clear example of making the very worst of a sad and bad situation.

THE lenient sentence passed on paedophile Craig Sweeney is as revolting as it is unjust. But no surprise to me following on from the Webster/French sentence appeal last week, where French's sentence was not increased and she could be free in just 19 months. Webster was given a mere two-year increase on his six-year minimum term.

This is an insult to the 12-week-old baby victim's family, as well as all those families who suffer at the hands of these revolting creatures.

The fee for this column is donated to the Rhys Daniels Trust

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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