Viscount Falkland

Date: 1979-06-01

Headline: Pervert Lord keeps his tax-payer funded seat in the House of Lords

Corruption Level: 10

Content: Police who searched the old Etonians seaside home found hundreds of sketches of naked girls on House of Lords notepaper and a cache of photographic indecent photos featuring his young guests. The court was told that Lord Falklands conviction would not affect his seat in the house of lords, which he kept.

Viscount Falkland, Premier Viscount of Scotland was fined £1,140 and given a six months jail term, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to 10 offences of indecency involving young girls Magistrates at Bodmin court, Cornwall heard Falkland would have four in a bed with naked young girls

The prosecutor said that the 74 year old Lord Falkland had entertained some 40 young girls who were aged from just 8 to 15 years old over the past decade. Sometimes the girls, a dozen of whom were interviewed by police, had photographs of them taken dressed in Lord Falklands robes and coronet

The frail and severely disabled Lord Falkland charged under his real name, Lucius Henry John Plantagenet Carey Falkland faced 10 summonses alleging indecency. Lord Falkland, three times divorced pleaded guilty to the charges which consisted of:

Three of indecent assault on a child under 16 years old
Four of gross indecency on a child under 16 years old
Three of taking indecent photographs of a child under 16 years old

The offences took place between May 1973, and October 1978. Two other charges involving indecent assault and gross indecency were dropped after the Lord Falkland pleaded not guilty

Mr Thomas Wareing prosecuting, told the magistrate that Lord Falkland played a sex game called 'wolf' with girls who stayed at his house. The court heard he said to them the house was haunted to encourage them to share his double bed.

When police raided his Victorian three-storeyed home at tower park, Fowley, they seized pencil sketches, mostly of naked girls, a number of indecent images of children and several sexually charged letters. In Falkland's house there were 3 bedrooms � The yellow room and the blue room � which Falkland said were haunted by a ghost called Mr Bennett, and the third room was his bedroom which contained the double bed.

One girl now married, told police of a holiday she had spent in the house in the summer of 1973. Two of her friends were also there, one of them the daughter of of a family friend of lord Falkland. They stayed with 'Charlie as Lord Falkland was known, and one night two of them got into his bed after he said the place was haunted.

The Prosecution said, Lord Falkland gave the girls pocket money and allowed them to smoke. He also allowed them whisky and sherry.

A girl named 'Flea' started visiting Falkland at weekends when she was 12 years old, where she would put on shows for him featuring music, dancing and sometimes gymnastics. Another girl said he only like girls between 12 and 16 years old, because any girls over that age "would be wanting to go out to night clubs and at his age, wouldn't be up for it"

When interviewed by police, the Lord Falkland said "I have looked after by children for years and look what is happening to me now. He added "the girls were ganging up on me now."

Mr Alan Rawley QC, defending said "Lord Falkland was adamant in wanting to spare the girls the ordeal of them giving evidence in court. But he denied some of the the allegations of intimacy." and added "Girls of this age can exaggerate and fantasise."

Rawley said it was accepted by the crown that there was no suggestion of sexual intercourse having taken place. "The thought of athletic activity by this elderly gentleman in his infirm condition is in my submission, not a realistic natural basis for an approach to this case."

Rawley added "He is not an initial corrupter in the sense of overcoming unwilling children and making them do things that they did not want to do. Most if not all these girls joined him, with amusement and indeed encouraged it."

Lord Falkland was by no means a rich man, and had existed on a salary of £4800 a year, some of which came from attendance fees at the house of lords. The court was told that Lord Falklands conviction would not affect his seat in the house of lords.

Outcome:

Viscount Falkland MP