By Hélène G10

John Stonehouse was a British politician seen as a potential future prime minister, but shockingly abandoned his wife and children without warning, to escape mounting financial troubles and fraud charges. He then proceeded to stage his own death on November 20th 1974 when he went to Australia to start a life with his mistress Sheila Buckley, his secretary at the time. Stonehouse was finally arrested on Christmas Eve 1976 in Melbourne due to his outrageous behaviour.

Prior to his arrest, Stonehouse aimed to become the next prime minister. Stonehouse’s role was very significant in British politics as he was the Labour member of parliament in North Walsall from 1959 to 1974. His primary responsibility was to shape the industrial technological regulations. Stonehouse;s financial dealings included embezzlement of funds from companies such as British Bangladesh Trust, Harlequin Enterprise, and more. After struggling with finances, he staged his death in Miami in 1947, leaving a pile of clothes on the beach, leading people to believe he had drowned. He was arrested in Melbourne under a false identity of the fugitive Lord Lucan. Stonehouse was convicted on many charges including fraud, theft and forgery, resulting in his 1976 sentence of a seven-year prison sentence.