diff --git a/httpclient/src/examples/org/apache/http/examples/client/ClientCustomContext.java b/httpclient/src/examples/org/apache/http/examples/client/ClientCustomContext.java
index 956f27ee6..a9a1b75cb 100644
--- a/httpclient/src/examples/org/apache/http/examples/client/ClientCustomContext.java
+++ b/httpclient/src/examples/org/apache/http/examples/client/ClientCustomContext.java
@@ -83,7 +83,9 @@ public class ClientCustomContext {
         }
         
         // Consume response content
-        entity.consumeContent();
+        if (entity != null) {
+            entity.consumeContent();
+        }
         
         System.out.println("----------------------------------------");