Profumo scandal icon Christine Keeler denied posthumous pardon over perjury conviction

The woman at the centre of the infamous Profumo scandal, Christine Keeler, has been denied a posthumous pardon over her conviction for perjury.

Justice chiefs have refused to quash the model's 1963 perjury conviction in a blow to her family, who have long fought to clear her name.

The family claimed for years the prosecution was part of a plot to smear her after her affair with Conservative war minister John Profumo in the 1960s.

It comes just days after nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis was given the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM).

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Ms Keeler's son, Seymour Platt, who now lives in Longford, Ireland, with his wife Lorraine, and their daughter, Daisy, criticised the decision.

He said: "I'm delighted that Ruth Ellis has been granted the posthumous pardon – it is right that the Government recognised she was suffering and put in a terrible position by an abusive husband.

"They should have recognised there was an injustice. They have recognised that my mum experienced injustice, but they are not willing to act on it."

He told the Mirror: "This won't stop us though, it fuels the fire, it makes me more determined than ever to overturn her conviction."

The Profumo scandal, which hinged on an extramarital affair between 46-year-old Mr Profumo and then 19-year-old model Keeler, was one of the most infamous scandals to rock Westminster in the second half of the 20th Century.

Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963.

However, a police investigation months later revealed he had lied to Parliament.

Interest in the case peaked when it was alleged Keeler may have been simultaneously involved with Soviet naval attaché Captain Yevgeny Ivanov.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Royal named in secret FBI document about Profumo sex scandal
• Liz Truss insists she is ‘Britain’s number one fighter against the blob’ when challenged on gender policies
• Labour makes sudden last-minute change to Parliament timetable to block Tories from quizzing Andy Burnham for another two months

Ivanov also knew Keeler through London socialite Stephen Ward.

The furore around the scandal seriously damaged the reputation of Harold Macmillan's Tory Government, with political historians suggesting it was one of the key factors behind the Conservative Party's loss to Harold Wilson's Labour.

Keeler was later jailed for perjury in an unrelated case.

She had been attacked by stalker Aloysius "Lucky" Gordon in April 1963, who was convicted of assault in June of that year and jailed for three years.

However, he appealed against the conviction in December, citing inaccuracies in Keeler's courtroom testimony against him.

The Court of Appeal overturned his conviction after it emerged that although two men witnessed the incident, Keeler had testified they were not there.

Campaigners claimed the men, Rudolph "Truello" Fenton and Clarence Camacchio pressured Keeler not to bring them into the case.

Keeler's family has long claimed there was no doubt the assault took place and that she lived in fear of Gordon.

In her will, she begged her to "tell the truth about her life".

Last year, justice watchdogs rejected an application to send her perjury case to the Court of Appeal.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission accepted she could not have had a fair trial, particularly in view of the unprecedented prejudicial media coverage.

Mr Platt said: "The Ministry of Justice has now formally acknowledged that my mother suffered an injustice. That matters.

"But refusing a pardon while accepting an injustice is a contradiction that cannot stand. This is a part of British history that needs fixing. I am considering the next steps with my legal team, and the fight goes on."

The King granted Ellis a conditional pardon because she had suffered physical and emotional abuse from her partner, David Blakely, before killing him.

Under modern law, she might have argued loss of control or diminished responsibility, with Keeler's representatives arguing that she deserves similar consideration, claiming she lied in court because she was afraid of Gordon.

Dr Felicity Gerry, a human rights barrister who is supporting Mr Platt, said: "The recognition that women who are victims of violent abuse and coercion should not suffer condign punishment is a great step forward.

"It makes a similar approach to the exploitation and extreme punishment of Christine Keeler possible."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter