Charles Laverton-West

In the novella Murder in the Mews, Charles Laverton-West was the fiance of Barbara Allen and Member of Parliament for a constituency in Hampshire. At the time of Barbara's death, they had been engaged for some two to three months.

Laverton-West was described as a young man of about thirty-one or two, and a good public speaker. However Barbara's friend Jane Plenderleith found him a commonplace man, slightly pompous and with ideas that were not particularly original. Japp, after interviewing him, described him as "a bit of a stuffed fish" and "a boiled owl".

Laverton-West had the weakest of alibis for the night of Barbara's death--he had walked home alone to his house at Onslow Square, he had let himself in, and had spoken to no one on the way. Yet Japp did not think him capable of murder or blackmail.

Portrayals
Charles Laverton-West was played by David Yelland in the film adaptation of the story which was episode 2 of series 1 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot drama series. David Yelland would later play George, Poirot's valet, in many subsequent episodes.