Published: January 27, 2012
by PETER GRUNER

POOR Joe Orton. They won’t forget that the playwright once defaced library books.

Tonight (Friday) he is being ‘tried’ posthumously for the same crime – 50 years after a conviction which led to him serving six months in Pentonville Prison.

The new case, involving deputy district judge Nigel Richardson, a prosecuting barrister and a defence counsel, is being staged at Islington Museum.

Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell, who lived in Noel Road, Angel, stole “rubbishy” books from Essex Road and Central libraries in the 1950s and 60s and defaced the covers.

The cover of a volume of poetry by Sir John Betjeman was replaced with a picture of a heavily tattooed, almost naked man.

The pair decorated their flat with 1,653 prints torn from art books, as well as altering book jacket blurbs in “an amusing but sometimes crude manner”.

They pleaded guilty to seven charges of theft and malicious damage. Tonight, the original defaced books, part of the museum’s collection which were seen at a recent exhibition, will be on hand as evidence.

Archway-based human rights lawyer Greg Foxsmith, who is organising the ‘trial’, said he accepted that defacing library books was and is a serious crime.

“My question is: did the two men deserve to go to prison?” he said. “Or were they sent down by the judge – as Orton always believed – because they were homosexual?”

Solicitor advocate Sandra Paul will defend Orton. Ms Paul, from Camden-based solicitors Hodge, Jones and Allen, defended in a recent gay porn trial which resulted in the acquittal of the defendants.

Prosecuting barrister is Mark Cotter, from St Andrew’s Hill Chambers.

Mr Foxsmith, who will introduce proceedings, is convinced that if the two men were convicted today they might escape being sent to prison.

He added: “They would be more likely to get an Asbo banning them from going into local libraries.

“At the same time this kind of guerrilla art can polarise opinion. Look at reactions to graffiti artist Banksy.”

Mr Foxsmith added that today Orton and Halliwell might be forced to do community service and pay compensation to the library for damage done.

“Prison, however, worked well for Orton and forced him to question society more than ever before,” he said.

“Would he have become so successful if he hadn’t been sent down?”

For Halliwell, however, prison proved a terrible experience and while there he attempted suicide.

He became consumed with jealousy at his lover’s later success and beat Orton to death with a hammer in 1967. He then committed suicide by taking an overdose.

The ‘trial’ begins at 6.30pm at Islington Museum,  in St John Street, Finsbury. There will also be a public discussion.

Admission is free for an event that finishes at 8pm.