There was also the matter of his being filmed using what appeared to be cocaine. God knows there are enough celebrities linked to drugs, so that should not have spelled the end for him. It was really the sex charges that ruined his reputation.

But should they have? He was found not guilty of all charges against him. The police investigated the claims against him and the courts decided he was innocent. But in the court of popular opinion, the mud stuck.

Now he is facing a new rape allegation, one which he strenuously denies. He describes the claim against him by an unnamed woman as "malicious".

The alleged crime is supposed to have happened in 1995 and, as Leslie points out, how many people could say with certainty what they were doing on any particular night 13 years ago.

Certainly, you would know if you raped anyone on such a night. But supposing you were innocent, how could you prove where you were, who you were with or what you were doing? You might be put in the frame by default.

We will know in the fullness of time if there is any substance to this latest allegation against Leslie. But in the meantime, many people will wonder about his guilt or innocence.

And it is for that reason that Leslie is so bitter at the moment. He has seen his career in television destroyed by claims which could not be proved. Yet do any of us know the person who made the allegations?

It raises the issue of anonymity given to people who accuse others of sexual misconduct. Certainly there are good reasons for granting alleged victims anonymity, especially if they are children or related to the perpetrator.

The guarantee of anonymity may also help some vulnerable women to come forward and give the evidence that would put serial offenders behind bars.

But it can also be abused. A person may make a malicious accusation safe in the knowledge that they are unlikely ever to be unmasked. Even if the case fails, there is a fair chance that no-one could prove the charge was made maliciously. Perhaps it would be fairer on all concerned if even the alleged perpetrator of a sexual crime was given anonymity until convicted.

Leslie is also angry that details of this latest accusation against him were leaked to the Press, leading to a flurry of stories and, he says, further distress for his parents. Presumably it will do little for his new career as a property developer either.

Leslie admits that he was a Jack-the-lad type figure and some of the stories about his lurid love life showed a sordid side to him. But the sexual activities detailed and even filmed were not illegal and, ultimately, no-one's business but his own and those of his partners.

We can all get very prissy and self-righteous about other people's sex lives, but providing they are between consenting adults why should we be offended?

Leslie, whatever we think of him, is an innocent man and as such is justified in feeling hard done by.

Trial by the media can often be a greater ordeal than facing the courts.