A descendant of an Irish earl jailed for contempt of court for 14 days was rebuked by a judge yesterday for giving a TV interview before being taken to prison.
Ms Marion Scarlett Needham Russell (33), Kilkeel, Co Down, was taken to Maghaberry prison on Tuesday after she refused to obey a High Court order to return £250,000 worth of antiques to Mourne Park House, Kilkeel, the seat of the Kilmorey family.
Mr Justice Girvan said in the High Court in Belfast yesterday that the interview had aggravated the situation. "The next time, the court will inevitably have to regard the matter as more serious."
Ms Russell's action to set aside a court order dividing the contents of the family home between herself, her sister and her brother is due to be heard on Monday.
Her sister, Ms Debonair Norah, Needham Horsman, Banbridge, Co Down, her brother, Mr Philip James Anley, Mourne Park, Kilkeel, and Ms Russell have been in dispute for four years over the contents and future of the crumbling ancestral home and greatly reduced estate.
Ms Russell has admitted removing 28 antiques and has refused to reveal where they are.