In 1999 he was jailed for 18 months after admitting perjury and
attempting to pervert the course of justice. Earlier, in attempting to sue a newspaper which had printed a true story about him, he had spoken of the "shining sword of truth" winning out, but it turned out that he was lying in so doing. Moreover, he had induced his daughter, then a schoolgirl, to lie in his favor whilst under oath. His conviction led to the break-up of his marriage. He subsequently claimed to have become a convert to evangelical Christianity whilst in prison.