John Stonehouse

JOHN STONEHOUSE MP d1988. British politician and minister in Harold Wilson's government known to have also been a Soviet-Bloc spy. He is however best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt at faking his own death by suicide on 20th November 1974 ; leaving a pile of clothes on a Miami beach. He was presumed dead' and obituaries were published despite the fact that no body had been found. In reality, he was en-route to Australia hoping to set up a new life with his mistress and secretary, Sheila Buckley. Using false names, he set about transferring large sums of money between banks as a further means of covering his tracks. Under the name of Clive Mildoon he deposited $21,500 in cash at the Bank of New Zealand. The teller who handled the money later spotted "Mildoon" at the Bank of New South Wales. Inquiries led the teller to learn that the money was in the name of Joe Markham and he informed the local police. Stonehouse then spent a while in Copenhagen with Sheila Buckley but later returned to Australia, unaware that he was now under surveillance. The police suspected him of being the fugitive Lord Lucan, who two weeks before Stonehouse faked his death and had disappeared following the murder of his children's nanny. Stonehouse was arrested on Christmas Eve 1974. His trial lasted 68 days and he was convicted / sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud. His wife later divorced him in 1978 and he was released early from Wormwood Scrubs in August 1979 following three heart-attacks. He died aged 62 in 1988 following a fourth heart-attack.