MAUDLING SON KILLED IN FALL FROM 16TH FLOOR

The son of Reginald Maudling, the former Conservative Deputy Leader whose
career was blighted by financial scandal, has died poverty stricken at the
foot of a London tower block.

It is believed that William Maudling, 42, who once lived in Downing Street
with his family, threw himself from the 16th floor, his life ruined by drugs.

His death passed almost unnoticed, details emerging only yesterday, almost
two weeks after his body was identified by his sister, Caroline.

Caroline Maudling was a teenage actress and model whose outfits and love
life were a constant source of society gossip. She spent six months in
France, perfecting her French, but caused controversy when she became a
single mother at the age of 22. Her subsequent marriage to a South African
ended in divorce after three years.

She opened an acting school for black youngsters in a township near
Johannesburg. Now aged 52, she lives in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

Although qualified as an accountant, William Maudling was said to be almost
penniless. It is understood that he was arrested last year in North London
and charged with possessing heroin, having spent a fortune on drugs. "He
bankrupted himself because of heroin," said one police source. "He spent
thousands of pounds on drugs and was left ruined."

He was discovered, barely alive, on a walkway beneath Bacton Tower, in
Kentish Town, on May 21, but a doctor who performed emergency surgery was
unable to save him.

Residents of the tower block who tried to help Mr Maudling in his final
moments, summoning an air ambulance, had no idea of his background.

Mr Maudling, whose father also served the Conservatives as Home Secretary
and Chancellor, was not resident there. He carried no documents and it took
police until June 2 to trace his next of kin.

Police trawled through the files of hundreds of missing people before an
acquaintance of Mr Maudling contacted them to express her concern after
reading an account in her local newspaper of the death of an unknown man.

Police confirmed yesterday that Mr Maudling was single, unemployed and of no
fixed address. Sources said his death was being treated as suicide.

His death is another sad episode in the Maudling family history. Reginald
Maudling, the Conservative MP for Barnet, died in 1979, aged 61, from liver
disease. He became a Cabinet minister at the age of 40 when he was regarded
as one of the brightest stars in Harold Macmillan's government. He was
Chancellor between 1962 and 1964 and became Deputy Leader in 1965.

While he was Chancellor, the Maudling family lived in Downing Street. In
1964, the Rolling Stones were guests there at Caroline's 17th birthday party.

He was described as one of the best prime ministers Britain never had,
losing to Edward Heath by only 15 votes in the leadership contest of 1965.