Doing 'a Reggie'

The undernoted Private Eye cuttings from 1974 require some explanation for younger readers. John Stonehouse (pictured) was a Labour politician who became Postmaster General in Harold Wilson's government. In 1970 he was having an affair with his secretary, Sheila Buckley. His devoted wife of 24 years knew nothing of the affair. After Labour lost power in the 1970 election Stonehouse set up an array of businesses with a view to 'making a million', and keeping Sheila in the luxury to which she'd become accustomed. By January 1974 things were going wrong for Stonehouse. One after another his companies got into trouble and some 'creative accounting' (ie fraud) was required to balance the books. The Department of Trade and Industry had started to take an unhealthy interest in his goings on. The Sunday Times Insight team had him in their sights. He decided to escape. He plundered his companies, and shipped funds abroad. He applied for two false passports in dead men's names (having got the idea after reading 'The Day of the Jackal'), opened bank accounts in several countries using their names and decanted money from his ailing companies into these accounts. He took out a £125,000 insurance Policy on his own life. The final act was to fake his own death. A Miami beach was the venue for his "death". Just a matter of days after an article appeared in 'Private Eye' querying his business practices he was in Miami on a 'business' trip. While there, he pretended to go for a swim, left a pile of clothes on a beach and dashed for the airport. The police thought he was dead and launched a massive search. The news was relayed to his wife and children who know nothing of the plot. Barbara Stonehouse was distraught and put under sedation. Sheila Buckley, who was to join him abroad when the fuss blew over, played her part well and said she thought he probably drowned because "he used to go for long swims by himself." The tributes poured in. Amazingly, the House of Commons had a minutes silence . The News of the World reported, "Sharks Ate John Stonehouse". Meanwhile Stonehouse was island hopping his way to Australia under one of his false passports, sporting glasses and with a centre parting. On arrival in Australia he started to pour money into Melbourne banks, attracting the attention of a smart bank clerk who's been told to look out for fraud. The police weren't initially interested in the case and didn't intend following it up. But by a million to one chance, on the same day as the Melbourne Police were contacted by the bank about Stonehouse they received an Interpol alert to look out for Lord Lucan who had beaten his children's nanny to death. They immediately assumed that Stonehouse was Lucan (same build, colouring and he was English) and eagerly follow him for several days. On Christmas Eve 1974 the Aussie police, convinced they had Lord Lucan, knocked on Stonehouse's door and confronted him. He was arrested and immediately told the polis who he really was. When the news got out the press descended on Melbourne in one of the great all-time Fleet Street scrambles. The Daily Express put 22 men on the case (including their cricket correspondent). The News of the World flews out nine men and a suitcase full of £15,000 to buy Stonehouse's story. The Times Opera Correspondent in Sidney was asked to join in the hunt as well. ITN and BBC news poured teams in. The story filled most newspaper front pages for the days in between Christmas and New Year. The Labour party were hugely embarrassed by it all. Stonehouse told the world "he dropped out" because he was being blackmailed. He hinted at dirty dealings and threats against his life. Because as an MP he had enjoyed a form of diplomatic immunity and therefore hadn't actually committed any crime the Australian authorities allowed him to stay in Australia. He won a great deal of public support and became a sort of anti-establishment hero - the man who gave the English establishment two fingers. His wife, overjoyed that he was still alive flew out laden with Christmas presents for him. Despite the hell he's put her through she rushed to his side forgivingly. She still didn't know about Buckley but subsequently learned about her husband's deceit from journalists and the police. A deportation battle started with the Australian authorities allowing Stonehouse to stay, but the UK Foreign Office demanded his return to the UK. Sheila Buckley broke cover and flew to Australia to be with her lover. Stonehouse now had two women by his side - his mistress and his wife. This culminated in a blazing row on a Queensland beach with both of them. Barbara Stonehouse returned to London to start divorce proceedings. Stonehouse and Buckley stayed in Australia to fight deportation. After six months and a massive world-wide fraud investigation, Stonehouse and Buckley were deported to the UK. He was uncovered as a swindler, a cheat and an adulterer. He arrived home, still an MP, and was granted bail awaiting trial on dozens of fraud charges. Even though he was disgraced, Stonehouse has the balls to take Buckley to tea in the House of Commons tea room. He even went to the Labour Party Blackpool Conference After the then longest fraud trial in UK legal history, he was found guilty on 18 charges of fraud and theft. Sheila Buckley collapsed as she was found guilty on two charges of theft but she got a suspended sentence. Her mother cried out from the public gallery "Is it a crime to love a man?" Stonehouse got seven years. Stonehouse served five years of his sentence, abandoned by his friends, divorced by his wife, ignored by the press. When the gates of the prison opened there was only one friend there - Sheila Buckley. Within a few weeks they were married. Three years later they had the child Buckley had longed for. Stonehouse spent the remaining years of his life with her writing books until he died of a heart attack in 1988. On this, the occasion of his second death, there was no minute's silence in the House of Commons. Now, let's go back to January 1975 - Stonehouse is in Australia, awaiting deportation - the extent of his crimes are not yet known - but everyone is now aware that he had 'done a Reggie' (as faking one's own death came to be known - after the TV character Reginald Perrin who faked his death in the same way as Stonehouse)-