Page 2, The Herald, Wedneaday, May 9, 1976

Thorpe on trial for homosexual murder tr

- been delayed for eight days

LONDON (AP) — Jeremy
Thorpe, former leader of the
British Liberal party, and
three other men went on trial
Tuesday on charges of
plotting to murder a man
who claims he had a
homosexual affair with
Thorpe, All accused pleaded
not guil

The dateive sought to
prohibit the testimony of key
prosecution witnesses,
saying they embarked on a
conspiracy of their own by
selling their stories to
publications, 50:

Thorpe, David

thes be nt

lIcten Boyce
hausewile

“ae gs poi Iie acdc gil

Bernice Smith
retired policeman
Vancouver East

Vancouver alderman
- Vancouver East

Hugh Rebbins

Holmes; George Deakin, and
John Le Mesurier ‘entered
not guilty pleas when
charges of conspiring .to
murder former male model
Norman Scott were read.

Each charge carries a
maximum sentence of 10
years In prison, .
alone faces an

charge af
inelting Holmes

Th
additional
unlawfully

to. murde Scott; He denied

that allegation and Scott's
sssertion ebout a homo-

two.

Dairykind manager
Prince Rupert

sexual . affair belween the

Jim Hewitt
credit union manager
*Boundary-Similkameen

Ger Gray
Member PPWC
Machetvie

Stephen Rogers
airting pilet
Vancouver South

Outside the Old Bailey
Central Criminal Court
building here, crowds
gathered to watch _ the
principals in the case,. Tele-
vision cameras whirred as
Thorpe arrived

accompanied by his wile,
Marion, and mother, Mrs.
Ursula Thorpe.

It took just 25 minutes to
im
doners,

The judge, Sir Joseph Can-

Hey, 63, dressed in red robes

Terry Sevarts

ae

in his ~
lawyer’s brown Rolls-Royce, -

nel a jury of nine men -
three women, all Lon-

nee hanig, menthes 1M, 4,
Raatenay Const lines

and white wig, warned the 69

_reporters covering the trial

not to interview jurors or
witnesses, .

"I know it's done in some
places, but not here and any-
body who does it, will be pun-

ished,” the judge . said, ~
; “Betler bring a toothbrush

with you if you're going todo

‘that,” he added with a smile.
The prosecution Is trying

to prove Thorpe and the

. three others accused  con-

spired’ between Jan..i, 1973,
and Dec. 18, 1977, to murder -

Scott, and that Thorpe in-

Res Holkeu
sniall business
- uwiclian: Mialaliat

Desmond Kinimilt
niinister
Vanover Cente

Promice Bi Benen
bUNtiess iit)
Okanagan South

architect

Brian Smith
fawser, Mayor of Qak Bin
Osh (ins Condon Clea

CUT Ons
Lanigshoreniat
Htirnaty North

T sqqaimialt-Port Renties

Wanett Renieds

“Vaneouver Cente

cited Holmes to that end
between Jan. 1, 1969, and
March 30, 1859.

Thelr argument is that the
men wanted to protect
Thorpe’s political career by

killing Scott. But before the -

prosecution could begin its
case Tuesday, the defence

‘began lega! -manoeuvring.

and the jury was dismissed
for the day. -

Thorpe’s lawyer, ‘George

‘Carman, argued for three

hours and 15 minutes thal the
-prosecullon’s star witness,
former MP. Peter. Bessel,

From small businessmen to trade union members, |
Soci Credit candidates are eople from all walks of life...

i

was gulliy af “a continuing

contempt of court” because
Pe ane hig story to
pers and should not

allowed to testify. :

ae sald the same. applied
to Scott and another key
witness in the case, Andrew
Newton, the former airline
pilot allegedly paid &5,000

(more than $10,000) by the’

defendanta to murder Scott,

Carman sald ''a witness:

may shape his evidence to
iccommedate _ his
paymaster," in this case the

newapapere that bought the
story. .- .

Sally Py

Pate Kahl
heaicher

lows Broniniet
high school principal
ave River

Phil Brogks
Media techaiekin
Rossliand-Trail

Cer Puri

Norih Ishin

On May 10, vote for the government that

puis the individual first.

SOCIAL CREDIT WORKS. FORYOU.

Member Teamsters

Paid for by the British Columbia Socal Credit Patty :

Bessel. ‘signed a &50,000
agreement with a London
Sunday newspaper while
both Seott and Newton had
agents to help them collect
on the case, Carman argued,

calling it ‘a conspiracy to -

pervert. the course af
justice.”

“If Mr. Bedseil, Mr.
Newlon and | Mr. Scatt were:
. prevented ~from giving
evidence, there would really .

be no trial,’ prosecutor

Peter Taylor told the judge.
The-trial, expected to last
two to three months, had -

so- Thorpe again campaign
for the May'3 British general
‘election, . but: he: lost the
-House of-Commone:seat he
-held for 20. years.

"A ‘law that became ef-

. fective last year would allow

for ‘life imprisonment for
conspiracy .to murder, but
since the alleged conspiracy
occurred Sefore. the new -act
came into .effect,* the

* defendants could face the old

maximum. sentente. of 10
years, if convicted, ,

NEWS IN ones

their

TEHRAN (AP) — The Ira-
hian revolutionary. firing

“squads, in the bloodiest day

since they began executing
countrymen ‘in
February, killed 21 persons”

“Tuesday, including two of*

the shah's former cabinet
ministers and’ an army -
general, Radio Tehran ‘
announced. ; :
_ More trials were reported
under way and the total of
known ‘executions is éx-
pected to rise from: its
current Jevel of 191..

Sobbing relatives gathered
at the Tehran city morgue

shortly after dawn to claim ~

the bodies. Reporlers said
only one body was handed
over, it in a rough wooden

coffin. Other families were:

wl Vt

told to go home and walt ta
be called about claiming the
‘remains,.-" \.°
’ Revolutionry | guardsmen
‘outside the morgue: angrily
told the victims’ “relatives
- thatthe executed were guilly
‘of murder and ‘deserved
their punishment, ‘The of-
ficial ‘charges: against the
. victiing: ‘included a
“with®, ‘God © his
emissaries,” tottare and
killing: “corruption and
““insulting"the. imatn,"
“Phe ‘charge ‘of ; ‘insulting
-the jinain'! ip a-new'one and
apparently referred to
revolutionary religious
leader Ayatollah . Ruhollah
Khomeini, known in Eran as
‘the- imam, or’ supreme
leader. ‘

Earthquake i in Frisco,

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — ~~

Shortly after parakeets sud:

denly screeched .and dogs
growled ‘mysteriously
Tuesday, the'San Francisco
area was "hit by its second
earthquake in 10 days,

Were the slrange squawks'-
and barks a prelude'ta the -

quake late Monday?

Some scientists at the
United States Geological
Survey and the Stanford
Research Institute think
strange animal behavior is a
clue to earthquake pre-
diction.

2 Ten killedsin fire’.

“One notable success was
at Willits," said Jack Pfluke,

B researcher at the dgency's
offices in’ Menlo Park. He
was referring to “a small
northern California com-
munity where “a tremor
registering 6.0 on the'Richter
scale hit on. Nov. 22, 197.

The “Richter _ scale
measures ground ination a8
recorded on seismographs.
Every increase of a number
means a tenfold increase in
magnitude.

Loliinsvie SA) Tag96 rnd

Fire turned the five- ©
storey Woolworth variety
store in this Midlands in-
dustrial city into a raging
inferno during business

- hours Tuesday aflernoon,

killing at least 10 persons,
police reported.
' They said more than 50

‘were admitted to hospital,
“some In serious conditian.

Scores of shoppers. and
clerks ran.-inta the- street
from the basement and main.

_ floor.

* ieee, thgland rin Aboatbh persons tied to the-
. CAP)

roof and were brought down
ladders by firemen, ©

A fleet of 18 ambulances
took the dead and injured to
three nearby hospitals. More
than 100 firemen fought the
blaze, bringing it under
control in late afternon.

‘A ° fire -. department
spokesman said thee bodies of
sim women and four men
had been recovered. As night
fell, firemen equipped wih
breathing apparatus sear-.
ched for more victims,

‘Prisoners escape

GUELPH, Ont. (CP) ~~

~ Police are still searching for
- seven prisoners who escaped

during a riot at Guelph

-correctional centre Involving

more than 180 prisoners.

Prison officials say they
think the riot began because
prisoners were
Sisciplined late Monday
after showing signs of having
taken drugs. - .

But Lyndon Nelms, deputy
regional director for the
Ontaria correctional ser-
vices ministry, said the riot
also could have been a

diverson te allaw the escape.
Gordon Walker, Ontario's
correctional services
minister, ‘sald prisoners
would have died in fires
during the riot if. prison

. mattresses were not fire-

retardant.

He said the situation could
have resembled one‘at a jail
in Stratford, Ont., 1% years
ago, when five prisoners died
afler «their: mattresses
caught fire, .

The escape was not dis-
covered until after the 3l2-
hour riot ended- early
Tuesday, Walker agid,

Leadership the issue _

WINDSOR, Ont. (CP) —
New Democratic leader Ed
Broadbent told 1,000 high
school seniors Tuesday that
strong leadership is the
biggest question in the May
22 general election.

As young voters marking
ballots for the first time in
the election two weeks from

today, Broadbent said they .

should make assessments
not only on the personality of
the leader but what he staod
‘or.

“Consider the prime

minister’ 8 record for the last
ll years. °

Consider his approach In
Quebec where he calls the
farmers complainers and In
British Columbia where he
told young , people they
should get off their asses if

they want jobs.” - °°

The truth was, Broadbent
sald, there was only'one job
for every, 20: Canadians
locking for work..

The NDP leader got
several ovationa far his
remarks on the party's stand
on the equallty of women and
on medicare.

California rationing gas

NEW. YORK (AP) — The
severe ‘ gasoline supply
erunch -that is. forcing
rationing in Cailfornia haw
not yet hit the reat of the
United States but there are

_warnings ‘of problems later

in the month.

An Assoclated Press spot
check showed that long IInes
generally iwere the ex-
ception, nothe rule, In most
areas 50 far, The shortages
that eel al the end of

April, aS dealers: ran out of
monthly. allocations, have
eased, . although . many
_ Btatlons remain slosed on
Sundays. . ;
Herbert ‘Hugo, 2 ‘a senior
editor at Platt's Oilgram, an
Industry newsletter in
Chicago, sald: ‘This ia the
calm efore the storm and
the storm is. going to come
about Memorial ‘Day (May
, 28). The handwriting on the
‘wall, {s out “thers In Califor-
A.