Max Clifford’s conviction for sex offences has been upheld by the court of appeal, more than a year after the disgraced celebrity publicist died in prison.

The high-profile PR man was jailed for eight years in May 2014 after being convicted of a string of assaults against four victims between 1977 and 1984 following an investigation by the Metropolitan police’s Operation Yewtree. He died in prison aged 74 in December 2017 but his daughter Louise took the unusual decision to continue his legal appeal, in an attempt to posthumously clear her father’s name.

Clifford, who was known for his role selling tabloid kiss-and-tell stories and helping to launch the public career of Simon Cowell, denied until his death that he had sexually assaulted young women. He had branded his accusers fantasists, laughing in court at some of the claims, but was found guilty of eight offences against women and girls as young as 15.

At an earlier hearing, Sarah Forshaw QC, acting for the publicist, had told the court that the fact Clifford was was no longer alive “won’t matter one jot” if any of his convictions were found to be unsound, since it would mean that justice would have been retrospectively done.

Louise Clifford, who used to work at her father’s publicity firm, decided to continue with the legal appeal because she “has wanted to do what she can to restore his reputation”, according to the lawyer.

Forshaw told the three judges that the grounds of appeal related to fresh evidence and “misdirections or inadequate directions” by the original trial judge.

One of the complaints was the “removal” of the issue of consent, or “belief in consent”, from the jury. She told the court that in his first police interview Clifford said: “I wish to emphasise that I have never forced any female to engage in any form of sexual activity with me against their will.”

Forshaw added: “The complainants were painting scenarios involving forced sexual activity, which he would always deny, and denied until his death.”

However, on Tuesday, Lady Justice Rafferty dismissed the appeal and said the original case against Clifford was strong: “Nothing we heard came anywhere near imperilling the safety of his conviction.”

At the end of Clifford’s original trial, Judge Anthony Leonard said the publicist’s conduct had made his victims “extremely upset” and told him: “I find your behaviour to be quite extraordinary and a further indication that you show no remorse.”

The judge said Clifford’s personality and position in the public eye were the reasons his crimes were not revealed earlier. Clifford was also told that had some of offences been tried under modern law, they would be considered as rape or assault by penetration with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.