Jeffrey Archer found that dishonesty didn't pay - eventually

May Jeffrey Archer rest in peace. His novels are not my cup of tea but they have their devotees. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue reading Save $100 + Bonus Tote All articles from our website & app The digital version of Today's Paper Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia All other in your area But his death reminds me that judges aren't infallible. In a debate over whether juries get it right or not, I'd usually go with the views of those 12 ordinary people before that of a single judge sitting alone. I say this because Archer was a convicted liar, and the judge in a case he brought helped him get away with his dishonesty for 14 years. In 1987, Archer sued the Daily Star newspaper in Britain after it reported, correctly as it turned out, that he, the then deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (which was very strong on "family values"), had paid a sex worker for her services. The jury agreed after a mere four hours that Archer had been defamed, but the judge had tilted the decision: in his summing up, Justice Bernard Caulfield doubted whether a man with such a "fragrant" wife would pay money for sex. Lady Archer as she became and still is was described by Justice Caulfield as a vision of "elegance, fragrance and radiance". "Remember Mrs Archer in the witness box. Your vision of her probably will never disappear," the judge suggested to the jury. "Has she elegance? Has she fragrance?" Getting into his stride, he wondered how a man with such a beautiful wife would ever be "in need of cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel". Not only was Jeffrey Archer's wife beautiful but she was also, as a University of Cambridge scientist, highly intelligent - but the idea that these undoubted pluses would deter a husband from infidelity would, I think, be met with more incredulity in the Bunnings car park than in the judge's chambers. Call me a cynic, but I put great faith in the common sense of ordinary people - and the embodiment of that good sense is the jury (and the electorate in a strong, well-functioning democracy). I suppose it should be said that Archer also won his libel case on the strength of a false alibi - it wasn't only the judge's persuasive naivety. The novelist's agent had said in court that he was dining with the politician at the time of the disputed assignation. But Archer then made a mistake: he fell out with the agent. Their dinner together used as the alibi had actually taken place on a different date. And Archer's former secretary revealed that Archer had asked her to alter his diary so as to confirm the falsehood. Archer was prosecuted. In 2001, he was convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice, and sentenced to four years in prison (of which he served two). He had to pay back more than £500,000 in damages plus interest. There are some lessons: grand people, including judges, don't always know better than the common man or woman. Don't go to court unless you know you're telling the truth. And don't fall out with someone who has lied on your behalf in court. Keep your friends and allies close. And the obvious one: tell the truth. We all tell untruths, from white lies upwards, but most of us find it hard. Jeffrey Archer didn't. Some current politicians don't find it difficult, either. Liars get found out. Don't they? Jeffrey Archer's novels are not my cup of tea but they have their devotees. May he rest in peace. Picture by AAP. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT : - Gay and lesbian soldiers and veterans can now apply to have convictions for homosexual activity wiped from their service records. An apology will also be issued for the discrimination of LGBTQIA+ Defence Force personnel by the federal government later in 2026, as part of the changes announced on Tuesday. THEY SAID IT: "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything," - Mark Twain. And that a lie requires a great memory, whereas the truth remains fixed. "No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar," - Abraham Lincoln. YOU SAID IT: I offered a defence of politicians. My point was that it is much harder to govern successfully these days than it was in, let's say, the 50s. You responded intelligently, politely and interestingly. Erik wrote: "I don't blame Albo for a lot of the difficulties the economy faces. But I do blame him for AUKUS, gambling reform (lack of), approving 37 fossil fuel mines or extensions, and not going far enough with tax reform." Patricia said of Albo: "He's better than anyone else around at the moment, but he's totally uninspiring when he speaks." Vena said: "Life for a politician is damned if you do, damned if you don't .People have no patience. They want everything now. Past bad decisions are not undone in one election win or even two." Murray said: "I fall into the category who feel that Mr Albanese is the worst Prime Minister this country has ever had and this government is also the worst. Now before I'm labeled a right winger, a 'fascist' and just for good measure the obligatory 'racist', let me say that I've been a Labor voter for fifty years. Or was. "Simply put, the Albanese government, rather than addressing and fixing the many woes facing the country, has in fact caused them." David Pope's view: Kraken' on with it ... Jeffrey Archer found that dishonesty didn't pay - eventually More from Court and Crime As it happens Breaking news alert Be the first to know when news breaks.