PR guru and Hersham resident Max Clifford will stand trial for 11 historic cases of indecent assault in March next year.

Mr Justice Nicol set a trial date of March 4, 2014, at a hearing at the Old Bailey this morning.

Mr Clifford did not attend the court but will be required to attend a plea and case management on October 4.

The 70-year-old, of Onslow Road, is charged with 11 cases of indecent assault, relation to seven different women and girls aged from 14 to 19 between 1966 and 1985.

Mr Clifford pleaded not guilty to all charges at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, May 28 and said outside the court that he was “totally innocent”.

The trial date set for next year is expected to last for four weeks.

A January 2014 date was initially suggested, but the defence suggested a date in March may be more suitable to allow time for all paperwork to be completed.

Defending, Richard Horwell said he was keen for the later date as the case goes back “many decades and that is difficult”, which Judge Nicol accepted.

Mr Horwell said the March date was more realistic for the trial.

At the hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes, Mr Horwell also asked the judge whether he could make an amendment to Mr Clifford’s bail conditions, that if he was to stay at another address he would give the police 48 hours notice.

Currently, Mr Clifford must live at his Hersham home and is not allowed to contact prosecution witnesses.

The prosecution said she was in agreement with the variation but Judge Nicol asked the defence whether the variation would be to allow Mr Clifford to go abroad and said he was “unkeen” on it.

The judge ruled that Mr Clifford could stay at other addresses but said it “must be an address within the jurisdiction.

"If it is an address outside the jurisdiction, he must alert the court”.

Mr Clifford was arrested in December under the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Yewtree, which was set up following the revelations in the Jimmy Savile case.

The operation is split into three stands and Mr Clifford’s arrest was not part of the Savile strand.

The charges against Mr Clifford are:

  1. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1980/1981)
  2. Indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years (1977/1978)
  3. Indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years (1977/1978)
  4. Indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years (1977/1978)
  5. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1984/1985)
  6. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1984/1985)
  7. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1981/1982)
  8. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1981/1982)
  9. Indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years (1966/1967)
  10. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1978/1979)
  11. Indecent assault on woman over 16 years of age (1974/1975)