Stonehouse is a new series on streaming service Amazon
Prime, which tells the story of disgraced British minister John
Stonehouse, his alleged
espionage activities and attempt to fake his own death.
The show mixes fact and fiction, but here's a rundown of the
actual case and its application to the legal doctrine of attempt in
Australia.
A strange
case
John Stonehouse was a British politician, serving as Postmaster
General with ambitions to become Prime Minister.
There are many salacious details about Stonehouse's life,
including his affair with his secretary, Sheila Buckley, and
accusations made by a high-profile Tory MP that he was a spy for
Czechoslovakia.
Most relevant for our purposes was Stonehouse's many failed
and fraudulent business dealings, for which incurring a tremendous
amount debt whilst fuelling a habit for prescription drugs.
