This Day in History, 1966: Jayne Mansfield makes headlines in B.C.

Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield could make men melt like butter in the hot sun. Article content

This sometimes led them to do things they would later regret, such as letting the actor into a Victoria courtroom on Oct. 30, 1966 to conduct a mock “sexual misconduct” trial of one of her pet chihuahuas.

It was a Sunday, so the court inside Victoria police headquarters was closed. But Mansfield said she wanted to see the courtroom, and Deputy Chief Ray Maitland complied.

Jim Hume of the Victoria Times reported she got permission to sit in the judge’s chair, then “launched into the trial procedure, with the dog held by her lawyer.”

City employee John Marshall had unlocked the door to let Mansfield into the court, but was aghast at the mock trial. Marshall reported the Mansfield affair