Pears' sham marriage?
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Britten: 15 facts about the great composer
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10. Pears' sham marriage?
In the 1950s, Home Secretary David Maxwell Fyfe urged the police to enforce anti-homosexuality laws, resulting in Britten being visited by police in 1953. He was so shaken by the incident that he suggested Pears should enter into a sham marriage to dispel suspicion.