A descendant of a former Irish lord has defied a judge's order to return valuable antiques she removed from the family pile, the High Court in Belfast heard yesterday.
Mr Justice Girvan said it was clear that Mrs Marion Scarlett Needham Russell had no intention of complying with his order giving her five days to return the items to Mourne Park House, ancestral home of the Earl of Kilmorey, near Kilkeel, Co Down.
The items form part of a collection of furniture, silver and paintings, worth about £750,000 sterling, which are due to be auctioned next month.
When the judge ordered Mrs Russell to return them he said: "She has taken it upon herself to go in and remove a substantial number of items, hide them, and refuse to tell the court where they are. Her behaviour was quite outrageous."
Yesterday, a lawyer for Mrs Russell's sister, Mrs Debonair Norah Needham Horsman, of Banbridge, Co Down, and her brother, Mr Philip James Anley, of Mourne Park, Kilkeel, applied to have her committed to prison for contempt of court. Mr Stephen Shaw QC, for Mrs Russell, said she was suffering from a depressive illness and was unable to instruct her solicitors.
Mr Justice Girvan dismissed the application because insufficient time had elapsed between service of a summons on Mrs Russell and the court hearing. But he warned: "It should be emphasised yet again that ultimately the order of the court will have to be obeyed. That may take some time and Mrs Russell may have to meet very substantial costs if she continues with her present stance."
The judge said Mrs Russell's husband, Alan, also had a role to play. "He should know where the items are and if he gives false information then the matter can be referred to the DPP for possible prosecution. I propose to vary the order I made on August 2nd to include a provision that the second named defendant (Mr Russell) should file an affidavit within three days setting out full details of his knowledge as to where the itmes are located."