Efforts by Barry Lehaney, 62, to entice a young mother into a sexual liaison would draw in not only Neil Hamilton, his wife, Christine, but also Mohamed Al Fayed and the publicist Max Clifford.

The trial demonstrated how easy it is for sexual predators using the internet to assume the identities of well-known personalities.

This saga of sexual duplicity and greed began two years ago in a backroom of Mr Lehaney’s flat in Essex where on the internet he posed as a bisexual female aristocrat.

Mr Lehaney was hoping to entice women to reveal their lesbian fantasies. He used the name of Lady Joan Hamilton, and was delighted when an attractive 29-year-old blonde began e-mailing him and sending topless photographs of herself.

What he did not realise was that the woman, Nadine Milroy-Sloan, had her own plan to make money.

The impoverished mother of four, embittered after her marriage failure and a string of unsuccessful affairs, was convinced that Lady Joan was Christine Hamilton.

In trial, Orlando Pownall, QC, for the prosecution, called Milroy-Sloan “naive and cunning in equal measure”.

Milroy-Sloan became more explicit in her e-mails.

Mr Lehaney told her that Lady Joan and her husband, Sir James, attended high-society sex parties involving lawyers, politicians, barristers and senior policemen. At these gatherings they boasted of being entertained by prostitutes.

Mr Lehaney then introduced himself into the liaison, claiming to be the Hamiltons’ chauffeur, saying that the couple wanted to meet her for sex games.

What followed was months of anguish for the real Hamiltons, who were photographed on the steps of an East London police station when they were held over rape the allegations. Christine Hamilton was so traumatised by the ordeal that police had to call a doctor after she collapsed.

In a statement read to the court Mrs Hamilton said she was “deeply frightened” and “terrified” by the allegations, which she described as preposterous.

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