Actor Named In Ward Trial

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30191, 24 July 1963, Page 15

Actor Named In Ward Trial

(N.Z.P. A.-Rent er—Copyright) _ LONDON, July 23 Marilyn Rice-Davies, aged 18, said at the Old Bailey in London today that she had had sexual intercourse with Douglas Fairbanks jun., Viscount Astor, the late London property racketeer, Peter Rachman and the society osteopath, Dr. Stephen Ward.

Miss Rice-Davies was giving evidence at the trial of Ward, who has pleaded not guilty to five vice charges.

Ward has pleaded not guilty to three charges of living wholly or partly on the earnings of prostitution during three periods between June 1, 1961, and June 8 this year, and two charges of inciting or attempting to procure girls under 21 for unlawful sexual intercourse with a third Pers' i.

More than 100 reporters from all parts of the world again today packed the Courtroom. The green leather seats for special visitors were crowded. Mr Michael Corkrey. prosecuting wigi Mr Griffith-Jones called the first witness, Sally Joan Norie. She said she had met Ward in 1961, and had regularly stayed with him at his cottage at Cliveden, Lord Astor’s estate. They had had sexual intercourse.

Under cross-examination, she told Ward’s counsel, Mr James Burge, that it had been a free and voluntary affair on her part and she had been intimate with Ward solely because she liked him. Austrian Girl

The next witness was called Miss “R ” Mr Griffith-Jones told the Judge (Mr Justice Marshall): "This young lady is Austrian by birth and so far as is known is quite respectable. She had to travel over from her country, my Lord, and 1 apply to call her Miss ‘R.’ to save her embarrassment. She is a girl of no possible public interest.” The Judge accepted his assurance

Miss "R." as in the lower Court hearing, gave evidence that Christine Keeler had come into a clothing shop where she was working in May. 1961, and said her brother would like to meet her.

At one stage the jury and Miss “R” were asked to leave the courtroom while legal arguments were presented She broke down and wept as she reached the door.

During the girl’s testimony Ward several times leaned over to pass notes to his counsel After a half-hour break in the proceedings for legal argument about admiss bility of evidence. Miss “R." agai® calm and cool, resumed her evidence, which was along the same lines as the evidence she gave in the lower Court Cross-examined. Miss “R admitted she had been intimate with Ward because she liked turn.

She described how she me’ M.ss Keeler Ward. Rachman and Lord Astor.

She was questioned about a proposal of marriage by Ward. “He said we ough. to get married some time, ' she said.

Mr Griffith-Jones: Did be say bow you would live and where you would get the money from?

Miss Rice-Davies: Well, he had a good practice and sasd he had fnends everywhere I do not know whether he meant he would not mind my going out with other men if w were married.

Why should thait occur to you? If a man asks a girl to marry him that is not generally what she understands?—lt just went on in the conversation. I cannot

remember thait part of it exactly. What were the friends going to do? You must help us as much as you can.—Because they are always useful, aren’t they? They could be financially useful. The Judge: Why should a friend be financially helpful to him?—Because they were very influential people. Mr Griffith-Jones: That may be the case but because a man is influential it does not necessarily help you financially?—At that time I was trying to model and do film work and Stephen helped many top models. One of the top models in America was Stephen's girl friend. The Judge: If you were to receive financial help from such a person, what was to be the quid pro quo?

Miss Rice-Davies leaned forward in the box.

The Judge: Do you understand that?—No.

What were you to give for what you were getting financially?—Oh, sex, I suppose. Did you have any doubts? —Yes.

When did you resolve your doubts?—Over the last two and a half years. Very quickly?—Miss RiceDavies laughed as she answered “Yes.”

“It is no laughing matter," said the Judge. Yesterday Christine Keeler gave evident e along the lines of her evidence in the lower Court hearing about her associations with 11 men—Ward, who she said “had full control” over her; Peter Rachman, who used to give her money to support herself; Lord Astor, who “paid the rent” when she and Marilyn Rice-Davies were sharing a flat; the former War Minister. John Profumo; Eugene Ivanov, the former Russian naval attache; Jim Eylan, who had given her hundreds of pounds over two years and slept with her regularly; "Charles.” whose name and address, off Park Lane, she

could not recall, who had given her about £56 after she had slept with him at Ward's suggestion; “a Persian boy,” who had paid the rent when she lived with him for three months; Michael Lambton, “a rich man” to whom she had been engaged; the Jamaican jazz singer, "Lucky” Gordon; and John Edgecombe, another West Indian, who shot at her last December.

As the prosecutor, Mr Mervyn Griffiths-Jones, probed into Keeler’s life, Mr Burge objected to some questions, but the Judge said the prosecution was trying to show, by details of the girl's life at the time she was associating with Ward, whether she should be regarded as a prostitute.

Keeler interrupted, saying: "I would like to say that I am not a prostitute and never have been." When Mr Griffith-Jones questioned her about girls she had introduced to Ward the Judge turned to her and said: “On this matter you are not obliged to answer any questions that might tend to incriminate you.” Keeler replied she had already answered at the preliminary hearing. No Legal Action

Mr Griffith-Jones said the prosecution gave an undertaking not to take legal action against her. Cross-examining her, Mr Burge said: "It is quite obvious to anybody who has seen you that if you wished to earn money by selling your body, you could have made a very large sum during that time, couldn’t you?" She agreed, but said she had not done so.

Women and girls hissed and booed as Keeler and RiceDavies left the Court yesterday. the “Daily Herald” reported Some shouted “down with Keeler.”

The “Daily Mirror” said about 400 persons, including hissing women, had crowded around them outside the Old Bailey Portrait Exhibition

Crowds jammed a London art gallery last night amid chaotic scenes at an exhibition of 145 portraits by Ward The crush was so great it was almost impossible to see the drawings. The total sale value of the portraits is £18.300. Las: night the show was for the press. It will open to the oublic today, and is expected to run for two weeks. Admission will be ss.

Ward’s agent, Mr Pelham Pound, mopped his brow in bewilderment at the acene He said the portraits were being offered for sale to raise money for Ward’s defence. "This is Che sole reason for the exhibition." he said. Mr Pelham Pound said Ward had been offered verylarge sums—up to as much a? £75.000 —for his life story But he had given instructions hat he was not interested. “After the trial is over. Dr Ward may instruct me otherwise,” he said. “Meanwhile, we are hoping to raise a substantial sum with this exhibition.”

Among the Royal pictures or iced at 500gns. are portraits of the Duke of Edinburgh, of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon Also on exhibition are oortraits of the Australian Prime Minister (Sir Robert Men 38* and the New Zealand Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake).