John Jeremy Thorpe was a seasoned British politician who served as Member of Parliament for North Devon for two-decades and as Leader of the Liberal Party for almost ten years. Although his father and maternal-grandfather were British Conservative politicians, Thorpe joined the ailing Liberal Party and with time gained ground within the party. He was elected MP at 30 and soon thrived in making a mark. As party leader, Thorpe contributed considerably in regaining Liberals the status of a major third force in British politics. The party under him went through a period of significant electoral success which included winning by-elections in 1972 and 1973; and securing 6 million votes during the February 1974 general election. A hung parliament following the latter led incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath to negotiate with Thorpe to form coalition government. Thorpe was offered a cabinet post, however the major electoral reforms that he demanded in exchange were rejected by Heath who then resigned and Harold Wilson of Labour Party became Prime Minister. Thorpe’s otherwise rising political career was however marred amidst the Thorpe affair, a political and sex scandal that surfaced after English former model Norman Scott alleged that he had a homosexual relationship with Thorpe during the early 1960s, and Thorpe later conspired to murder him. Thorpe and three others were charged following police investigations. Thorpe lost his parliamentary seat during the 1979 general election, just before his trial, and although he was acquitted on all charges, the alleged affair and the case damaged his public reputation irreparably ending his political career.