Post Drama

17/8/2020

The BBC drama finished at the end of February in the UK, and there does seem to be a change in the way we talk about Christine, there is more sympathy for the young girl caught in history back in 1963. Then something more important happened as a pandemic rolled across the world.

For me I was given the time to think about my mothers passing and how she would feel if she was still living in this new world. I was maybe grateful that she wasn’t here for Covid as in the end she suffered with her breathing, she would have been very vulnerable and scared. I was also given more time to think about my mothers place in history and her unfair treatment. I started this website not just to talk about why I think she shouldn’t have gone to prison but also to celebrate her and how she has inspired art and music but most of this time was spent on her timeline, what happened when, and what if anything it meant.

I came across a Blog posted by a firm of solicitors in the North East of England it was about Christine and how the drama viewed her sentence for perjury as unfairly harsh, it was this solicitors view that her sentence was fair, Christine had lied and a prison sentence was to be expected.

I wrote a polite and long email, I talked about the long history of violence and rape she had suffered from Lucky Gordon, I talked about how in the court transcripts there was no dispute that the crime had taken place, the only dispute was who was there. I talked about how unfair it was that such a young woman was forced to take a plea deal because public opinion was so against her and she had everything to lose.

You may imagine a stuffy old solicitor writing this blog, about the importance of punishing those who commit perjury, but she wasn’t. A few months have past since my email and still no reply, this doesn’t mean I have won any argument, quite the opposite. I was taught, when people ignore you, its because they don’t care.

I plan on updating this as often as a I can, talking about some of the more unpleasant questions I have been asked but also some of the great support i have been given.

May you stay safe wherever you are, and all the best.

11 Comments

Deborah Temple ?

18/8/2020 01:25:17 pm

Thank you so much for loving, tender & vital work you are doing ~ I honour you & your Mother from the depths of my heart & will follow your ever deepening journey with absolute Love & Respect

Seymour

20/8/2020 12:02:49 pm

Thank you for your support

Dave Tomlin

18/8/2020 07:35:04 pm

Well said Seymour. The journey you have embarked on, clearing Christine’s name is a long one. I admire all you are doing and I am sure one day your efforts and perseverance will be rewarded with that long overdue pardon that Christine rightly deserves.
Dave Tomlin

20/8/2020 02:31:07 pm

Thank you Dave

19/8/2020 03:55:35 pm

It is utterly commendable that Seymour has produced this website and quite rightly continues to fight for his mum’s good name, trying to put right, the wrongs from decades ago. I have to admit I am a fervent supporter of both him and his mum, you cannot fail to be moved when you consider the life she was forced to lead as a result of the “Profumo affair” and how she, with a stoic and an unfaltering will never give way to the unfounded nasty, vicious vitriol that came her way from both the public and media.

However, if I were to play devil's advocate for a minute I can perhaps understand why the stuffy legal eagle from the north takes the stance he does. The Law of this country is very black and white with only very subtle shades of grey. When you consider the facts of the case in question and the real reason behind CK being handed down a custodial sentence for conspiring to pervert the course of justice and perjury you can probably say the sentence was about right.

The charges had absolutely nothing to do with the assault she was subjected to from Lucky Gordon, that assault is described in detail in the court papers from the time, I believe LG even admitted part of it – so we should put that to one side when considering why she was convicted and served jail time. As I see it and from what I have read, the conviction resulted from telling untruths in court, she claimed no one else was there when the attack took place, commendable some may say, as she was only perpetuating a promise she had made to Fenton and Commacho at the time of the attack, she also claimed that LG had caused the injuries to her face, this was contested by Gordon, and when the brother of her friend eventually admitted hitting her previously that evening, there was no way of really knowing who actually did cause those injuries.

Once you knowingly try to mislead a court you are leaving yourself open to be subject of their displeasure!

If we think back to the case of Chris Huhne MP and his wife Vicky Pryce, they were both convicted of perverting the course of justice when it was discovered that she said she was driving a car that was caught going too fast and took the mandatory speeding points instead of him who was actually driving – they both received 8 months in prison!

Fiona Onaranya MP recently received a prison sentence for something very similar – when you conspire to tell untruths, no matter what the intention at the outset is, the Law quite rightly takes a very dim view.

I believe CK pleaded guilty to the two charges, and in doing so the court had no option but to hand down a custodial sentence, her legal team at the time did commendably put forward mitigating circumstances on her behalf and I’m sure they were taken into consideration when determining the eventual sentence.

Of course, people will say, how can this be right, Gordon raped CK and subjected her to domestic violence on numerous occasions (there would certainly be a different outcome today in how the CPS would deal with such allegations – remember though in the early 60’s prosecutions were brought to court by the police, there was no CPS in days gone by) however from the limited knowledge I have about Gordon, I do not think he ever was prosecuted for domestic violence or rape, and as hard as it is to accept it, I have no doubt CK was subjected to everything she claims, at the time it would have been regarded as “hear-say” and not relevant in any trial or considerations. The lies she told and the misleading story of who caused the facial injuries led to Gordon losing his liberty – “good” some may say, but however unfair or unjust you think it is, the Law doesn’t work like that and everyone has a right to a fair trial.

It is also worth noting, the very person CK was trying to protect, by not saying he was there at the time of the incident went on to try and blackmail her to keep the secret from coming out – Robin Drury, her so-called manager also tried to extort money from her for the writing of her memoirs and when she refused, it was alleged that it was he, who handed in the incriminating evidence (the tape-recorded confession she had made and thought had been destroyed) that forced the police to prosecute her.

Once that recording was in the public domain, the police, who had questionable intentions throughout the Profumo affair, had to act - it is said they were party to the knowledge that both Fenton and Commacho were present at the time of the Gordon attack, and whatever promises if any they had made to CK had to be disregarded at that point to save their own backs!

Once again, as so often in her story, CK was let down and exploited by those who were able to do so.

20/8/2020 02:30:35 pm

DC

Thank you. You have a grasp of both the history and the very issue I have with my mothers conviction, in the end she did lie on oath, its there in the transcripts.

You are correct that Lucky Gordon was not convicted of rapping Christine and she claimed he raped her on two separate occasions. After the second occasion at Dolphin Square he was arrested for rape, however Christine dropped these charges after pressure from his family.

Lucky Gordon had criminal history and was even convicted for a serious assault on a young woman in Denmark. I have his list of convictions on this site on the campaign page taken from the trial summing up.

I do however fear you are correct and the law is the law, even though in this case I don't feel that justice was done.

Thank you so much for the comprehensive reply and kind words. She was indeed exploited by most everyone around her.

20/8/2020 02:55:12 pm

I agree wholeheartedly, it really doesn't feel just, given all the circumstances of the case that she was constantly punished throughout her life for what happened within was a relatively short time frame within it, indeed if the same situation would arise today, there are quite rightly steps now in place that allows the CPS to continue with a prosecution of DV cases when the complainant removes their support - there were far too many people that were put under pressure to withdraw their complaint, as indeed was the case with your mum - thankfully times have changed, but sadly it came all far too late for her unfortunately. I maintain though, that she really didn't deserve any of the vitriol aimed at her and the utter bad luck that seemed to follow her throughout her life.

20/8/2020 06:32:17 pm

DC has made some valuable points. He has clearly researched this and given careful thought to what he has said, but I hope he won’t mind if I take issue with him on a couple of matters.

Aloysius Lincoln ‘Lucky’ Gordon was charged with (1) wounding Christine Margaret Keeler with intent to maim, disfigure or disable her or to do her grievous bodily harm and (2) assaulting Christine Margaret Keeler thereby occasioning her actual bodily harm. On 7 June 1963, at the end of his trial at the Central Criminal Court, the police told the court of Gordon’s previous convictions, and Gordon did not dispute them. His twelfth conviction was:

'(12) On 4th November, 1960 at Copenhagen, Denmark, he was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for assault. Released 30.8.61

'DEPORTED FROM COPENHAGEN ON 30.8.61. ARRIVED AT WILSON’S WHARF, TOOLEY STREET, LONDON ON 4.9.61'

Gordon had stabbed a young woman in Denmark. When he met Christine at the El Rio Café at 127 Westbourne Park Road, London W.11 in about October 1961 he was, unknown to Christine, already a man with a record of serious violence against women.

Gordon became obsessed with Christine. He terrorised her for two years or more and she could not escape from him. In the nineteen sixties there was no understanding of the concept of stalking, but I don’t think there can be any doubt now that Gordon stalked Christine relentlessly. Gordon was never Christine’s boyfriend – this was a one-sided abusive and violent relationship. There was no one to whom Christine could turn for help.

At Gordon’s trial, Christine told the truth about his assaulting her, but she lied when she said that two West Indian men, Fenton and Commachio, were not at the flat at the time. She naively and misguidedly tried to keep them out of it, because they asked her to not to tell the police about them and she didn’t believe that it mattered whether they were there or not.

Christine was 21 and had no previous convictions. She had become caught up in the Profumo Affair and the Establishment were determined to get their ‘pound of flesh’. I would say that she should not have been prosecuted for perjury, let alone sent to prison for it.

21/8/2020 10:41:09 am

Many thanks to DB for his reply – I guess the point I was trying to make very clumsily, regarding Gordons previous offending, was that he was never convicted in Law of Violence or Rape against CK, so any allegations at the time would have been just that, they were not founded in law and would have no bearing on any outcome for her, however unfair or unjust we believe that to be.

You mention that Gordon had previous for violence, we should also remember though, that the court, at the time of his trial, would not have been told about this until, and only when he had been found guilty, for obvious reasons.

I have huge admiration and sympathy for CK and all she went through, I really do, however, I cannot get away from the fact that I believe the sentence she received for perjury and conspiracy was correct – although, this in no way negates the way I look at her, her story and indeed her life.

CK was certainly naïve and misguided in her determination to protect others, however that lie regarding Camacchio and Fenton being there, when put to her in court was not the only reason she was sentenced, she also stated that Gordon inflicted the injuries to her face, she failed to mention the altercation earlier that night with John Hamilton Marshall, who later admitted striking her.

We also must remember that not only did CK lie in court, but she also conspired with her friend Paula Hamilton Marshall (who incidentally was sentenced to the same custodial sentence as CK) to mislead the court during Gordon's trial. From memory I believe they were both sentenced to 9 months for Perjury and 6 Months for Conspiring to pervert justice, both sentences were to run concurrent to each other.

The point you make about CK being 21 and had no previous convictions was also valid, but perhaps not for the reason you think, consider being on the jury at the trial of Gordon, when considering the evidence in a case of he said / she said, would you not have been swayed to believe more the evidence given by someone with previous “good character”, especially when backed up by another witness who gives the same version of events?

When considering the information given by a witness, if they are believed to be creditable and consistent in their evidence, by definition, you have to accept that everything they say is true, you cannot cherry-pick bits and pieces – you either believe them or you don’t. In this case, the court believed CK – however, when it was found that she had lied, all her evidence would have been tainted and deemed unsafe and that is why I believe Gordon was freed and his conviction of GBH against CK was overturned.

I cannot accept your point about the establishment out to get their “pound of flesh” do you really think they would imprison her friend Paula just to get at CK? I think the sentences they received were correct and I firmly believe the judiciary is, and always was, fair, just and independent of any political interference.

There was no reason for CK to lie in court, there was no reason for her not to tell the truth, indeed Gordon would probably still have been found guilty in his trial without those lies being told, however, those lies ensured he would be found guilty of GBH and thus sent to prison, (the GBH charge relates to injuries caused to a victim and a much more serious charge than Common Assault that may not have resulted in a custodial sentence), so perhaps the fact that she wrongly stated he caused the injuries to her face, ensured a stiffer sentence for him on conviction.

As much we may despise, dislike and abhor the person he was, our justice system has to ensure that EVERYONE is treated fairly, and justly for it to work.

I think there is very little chance of CK being pardoned for either Perjury or Conspiracy, the convictions look safe, indeed she pleaded guilty to both offences and I can think of no reason why any application would be considered, however unfortunate or unjust we may think that is. The crime itself (the assault on CK by Gordon) has no bearing on her conviction, they are two separate and individual matters, obviously, there is huge mitigation for the reasons behind her decision to mislead the court and from what I have read, these were put forward by her legal team and considered by the Judge at the time of sentence.

I think this website is wonderful as is Seymour’s determination to tell the real story of CK and the “Profumo affair” we should celebrate her life, warts and all, and make sure her legacy is one based on truth rather than secrets and lies!

Paula Lindsay Tennant

24/8/2020 09:04:00 pm

I really wish to keep up to date on your journey with this Seymour. I have so much respect for your beautiful Mum. Keep going darling, she deserves this.

28/11/2020 06:57:05 pm

"Pound of flesh", I don't think Stephen Ward would see it this way.....what better way for the establishment to get it's revenge then give 6 months prison sentence to Christine Keeler. If you think about it John Profumo lied to the world and got away with it......O I forgot he was part of the establishment.

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