Gruban v Booth

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Gruban v Booth
Court	Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
Full case name	John Gruban v Frederick Handel Booth
Decided	1917
Case history
Subsequent action(s)	none
Related action(s)	earlier habeas corpus appeal for release from internment as a probable or under-investigation national threat, won by claimant
Court membership
Judge sitting	Mr Justice Coleridge
Case opinions
Decision by	Jury. In legal procedure and precedent directed by judge.
Keywords
Member of Parliament abuse of position defrauding, deprivation of asset

Gruban v Booth was a 1917 fraud case in England that generated significant publicity because the defendant, Frederick Handel Booth, was a Member of Parliament. Gruban was a German-born businessman who ran several factories that made tools for manufacturing munitions for the First World War. In an effort to find government contracts and money to expand his business, he contacted a businessman and MP, Frederick Handel Booth, who willingly promised both. Booth sought agreement from Gruban to have 10% of a large order's price, to be hidden from the rest of the Board; tricked Gruban into transferring the company, and had him interned under wartime regulations to prevent a claim against him.

Gruban successfully appealed against his internment and as soon as he was freed brought Booth to court. The case was so popular that the involved barristers found it physically difficult to get into the court each day because of the size of the crowds gathered outside. Although those on both sides were noted for their skill, the case went almost entirely one way, with the jury taking only ten minutes to find Booth guilty. It was one of the first noted cases of Patrick Hastings, and his victory in it led to him applying to become a King's Counsel.