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The author of Stephen Ward Was Innocent, OK (Biteback Publishing), has revealed his book has been submitted as part of a posthumous appeal to clear Stephen Ward—convicted in the wake of the Profumo affair—and to rectify what he described as a "quite monstrous miscarriage of justice”.
Geoffrey Robertson QC has also identified two senior judges whom he says hid evidence from the jury that would have resulted in the acquittal of Ward.
Ward, who introduced 19-year-old Christine Keeler to MP John Profumo, committed suicide after the judge’s summing up and before his conviction in 1963 on charges of living on the earnings of prostitutes—Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies [pictured].
At a press conference held earlier today (2nd December) Robertson QC said his book had been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which has the power to bring before the Court of Appeal cases where someone has been wrongfully committed.
In his book Robertson identifies two senior English judges—Lord Parker (Chief Justice at the time) and Lord Widgery (the next Chief Justice)—who hid evidence from the jury that would have secured Ward’s acquittal.
Speaking at the press conference, held at his Doughty Street Chambers in London and also attended by Rice-Davies and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose musical Stephen Ward opens tomorrow at the Aldwych Theatre, Robertson said: “The time has come after 50 years to rectify this quite monstrous miscarriage of justice.”
Robertson said that neither Keeler nor Rice-Davies were prostitutes, and assertions that Ward needed to live off their money were untrue, as he was a successful osteopath and portrait painter.
Mandy Rice-Davies commented: “None of this is news to me. The truth never sleeps, ever.”
It is anticipated that the CCRC will take at least a few months to look through the book, which sets out 12 mistakes of law that led to Ward having an unfair trial.
Robertson said he was inspired to write the book by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose musical on the subject, Stephen Ward, opens at the Aldwych Theatre in London tomorrow (3rd December).
Also in attendance at today’s press conference were 99-year-old Lord Hutchinson QC, who defended Keeler; and Anthony Burton, the solicitor who this morning lodged the application to overturn Ward’s conviction.
Biteback’s m.d. Iain Dale was approached by Robertson to publish the book while the pair met at a birthday party on 26th October, turning it around in just five weeks. No stranger to controversial political books—Biteback published published Damian McBride’s memoirs Power Trip this year—Dale told The Bookseller: “I don’t think I would ever turn a book down because it’s controversial. I think everyone is fascinated by this. Younger people who weren’t around at the time will be interested. I think it’s an iconic story.”
He added: “This book has got the potential to sell very well. I think books like this have to capture people’s imagination, people have to be engrossed in the whole story—and with the publicity surrounding the musical I think people will look at Ward’s story."