 Bail was refused and Owen was held in custody until his trial at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) in April 1970.Owen resigned his seat on 2 April by means of the Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead.At trial, it was established that Owen had received cash from Robert Husak, an intelligence officer at the Czechoslovak Embassy; he admitted receiving a regular envelope each month which sometimes contained £10, and sometimes £20 (Owen's bank account details showed that the real figure must have been much higher).