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St Josephs News-Press June 11th 1964
London (AP) – Viscount Portman’s head gardener admitted today he gave Lady Portman a severe spanking to show her who was boss in the Portman greenhouse. “I soundly spanked her bottom.” Frank Klingenspor confessed in a magistrates court in the Buckinghamshire village of Beaconfield.
The Judge fined the 61 year old gardener 30 pounds on a charge of assault, put him under a bond of 50 pounds to keep the peace for the next 12 months and ordered him to stay at least one mile distant from the Portman estate for the next three years.
Occurred in Greenhouse
The prosecution said the dispute, which culminated in the spanking of her ladyship, who is 47, ocurred May 30 in the greenhouse of the Portman country estate, Burtley House.
Said the prosecutor: “Lady Portman madea normal and reasonable request for Mr Klingenspor to leave the greenhouse unlocked in the afternoon as she and her husband wanted to use it.
“Mr Klingenspor replies ‘indeed I will not. I am not going to have you mucking around my plants when I’m not here.”
When Lady Portman persisted, the prosecutor continued, Klingenspor banged her head against the greenhouse door, threw her down and beat her. “Her Ladyship,” said the prosecutor, “suffered a considerable degree of bruising and abrasion.” His lordship fired the gardener forth with.
Defending Flowers
Testifying in his own defense, Klingenspor said he was only defending his flowers. “The greenhouse contained expensive, delicate plants he explained. “Should the doors be left open and drafts occur there’s no knowing what trouble it might lead to.”
He conceded that he lost his temper with her ladyship. “I put my arms on the back of her neck to get her out and in the struggle pushed her to the ground,” he said. I then soundly smacked her bottom. She may have had cuts and bruises, but it wasn’t malicious on my part.”
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