from january 1959, orton and halliwell were involved in the theft and defacement of public library books. halliwell became an illicit collage artist, while orton wrote the fake blurbs for the flyleaf of the dust jackets. after their trial in 1962 the two men were given custodial sentences, halliwell was sent to hm prison ford in sussex for six months; orton went to eastchurch in kent.