Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Thorpe affair

Thorpe affair

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/August 3, 2016 by — Chris Woodrich (talk) 00:50, 18 July 2016 (UTC)



The Thorpe affair of the 1970s was a British political and sex scandal that ended the career of Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament (MP) for North Devon. The scandal arose from allegations by Norman Scott of a homosexual affair, at a time when such relationships were illegal in the United Kingdom. Thorpe denied any such liaison and largely managed to avoid public and press scrutiny, but Scott's allegations were a persistent threat for years, endangering the Liberal Party's mid-1970s revival. Unsuccessful attempts to buy or frighten Scott into silence culminated in 1975 with the shooting of his dog by a hired gunman. The subsequent publicity and police investigation forced Thorpe's resignation and led to his being charged, alongside three others, with conspiracy to murder Scott. At the trial in May-June 1979 the credibility of the main prosecution witnesses was undermined by, among other factors, their financial arrangements with newspapers. All four defendents were acquitted, although there were later claims that important prosecution evidence had been suppressed by the police. Thorpe's public reputation was damaged irreparably by the uncontested evidence, and he did not return to public life, dying aged 85 in 2014.
 * Most recent similar article(s): Mortara case, 21 June 2016
 * Main editors: Brianboulton
 * Promoted: 24 May 2014
 * Reasons for nomination: We need nominations.
 * Support as nominator. Brianboulton (talk) 15:17, 30 June 2016 (UTC)
 * Support something different Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 11:08, 7 July 2016 (UTC)