AP 06/16 0927 Layton SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Larry Layton, a former Peoples Temple member

AP 06/16 0927 Layton


   SAN  FRANCISCO  (AP)  -- Larry Layton, a former Peoples Temple
member convicted of aiding in the murder of  a  congressman,  has
been returned to jail pending the outcome of his appeal.

   Chief  U.S.  District  Judge  Robert Peckham on Monday revoked
Layton's $250,000 bail, granted in March, ruling that Layton lied
under oath during post-trial appeal hearings.

   "We do not take lightly the committing  of  willful  perjury,"
Peckham said.

   He  said  "several untruthful statements" by Layton showed him
to be "a man of desperation to avoid his convictions,"  and  that
such desperation could lead Layton to flee.

   Layton's  lawyer,  Robert  Bryan,  said  he  would  appeal the
ruling.   He  already  is  appealing  Layton's   conviction   and
Peckham's ruling rejecting a new trial.

   Layton waved to relatives and friends as he was led to a cell.

   Peckham  sentenced  Layton,  41, to life imprisonment after he
was found guilty Dec. 1 of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the
November 1978 murder of Rep.  Leo Ryan and the  attempted  murder
of U.S. diplomat Richard Dwyer on an airstrip in Guyana.

   Hours after  those  shootings,  the Rev.  Jim Jones and 912 of
his Peoples Temple followers died in a murder-suicide  ritual  at
their nearby settlement in the South American jungle.

   The  judge  on  March  27  granted  bail  to Layton during his
appeal, saying  Layton  had  not  been  a  major  member  of  the
conspiracy   to  murder  Ryan  and  Dwyer,  and  citing  Layton's
trouble-free record while on bail for the five years between  his
two trials.

   But  Peckham  said  Monday that Layton appears "in a different
light" after the post-trial hearing.

   Among other things, Layton testified in that hearing  that  he
never told a defense aide during the trial he had made up a story
about  being on medication at the time of the shootings, and that
he did not tell another defense aide after his conviction that he
anticipated a life sentence.

   In  both  instances,   the   defense   aides   testified   the
conversations took place, and Peckham said he believed them.

   Bryan  contended  the  alleged  perjury  resulted  from memory
lapses.

   
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