THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN

London, England

26 July 1934

(page 13)

ALEISTER CROWLEY BOUND OVER.

Receiving Charge.

Edward Alexander Crowley (58), who was described as an explorer, was bound over at the Old Bailey yesterday on a charge of receiving four original letters and one copy said to have been stolen from Mrs. Betty Sedgwick, professionally known as "Betty May," an artist's model, of South Hill Park Gardens, Hampstead.

Mr. Melford Stevenson, prosecuting, said that the letters disappeared from Mrs. Sedgwick's attaché case and were later produced during the hearing of a libel action in the High Court in which Crowley was the plaintiff. The letters referred to the payment of certain expenses by a firm of solicitors to Mrs. Sedgwick, who was a witness for the defence in the action, and she was cross-examined upon them.

Mrs. Sedgwick, in her evidence on Tuesday, alleged that a man name Captain Eddie Cruze had stolen the letters from her.

Mr. George Mather, a merchant, of Cambridge Terrace, London, W., said that when he told Crowley that Cruze had the letters in his possession, Crowley said he would like copies. "I got copies of the letters in question," said Mather, "and Mr. Crowley asked me to secure the originals."

Mr. Gallop (defending): Assume that these letters were stolen. Had you the slightest knowledge or suspicion that they had been stolen?—None. Mather said he asked Cruze to loan his the letters and Cruze said he wanted money to redeem his luggage. It was held for rent. He gave Cruze £5 for the letters, and handed them to Mr. Crowley.

The Judge: Where did you get £5 from?—Mr. Crowley.

Crowley was then called, and described himself as an author and poet, writing under the name of Aleister Crowley.

Mr. Gallop: Is this the first time there has been any charge against you in any place in the world?—Yes. He added that he never at any time suspected that the letters had been stolen.

The jury found Crowley guilty, and Judge Whiteley asked if anyone knew what had happened to Captain Cruze.

Mr. Stevenson: I wish we did.

Asked if he had anything to say before sentence, Crowley said: "I can only repeat that I am innocent of guilty knowledge and illegal intent."

Addressing Crowley, the Judge said: "It is quite clear that you must have known that Captain Cruze had no right whatsoever in dealing with these letters, and if he had no right in dealing with them he must have stolen them," said the Judge. "This is the first time this sort of case has come before me, and I think it is a very useful prosecution because it has been made clear now that this sort of thing cannot be done. These letters ought not to have been used—never to have been in your possession or handed to your solicitor at all. However, they were used, and no harm had in fact been done, therefore I am not going to send you to prison."

Crowley: Thank you my lord.

Judge Whiteley told Crowley that he would be bound over for two years to be of good behaviour. He added: "If anything of this kind happens again you will be brought to this court and sentenced to six months for this offence. Do you understand that?"

Crowley: I do my lord.

The Judge also ordered that Crowley should pay a sum not exceeding fifty guineas towards the costs of the prosecution.