Cairns has vowed to contest the charges against him

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns’ perjury trial is likely to take place in October 2015 after he made a brief appearance at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Cairns’ perjury charge is linked to when he sued Lalit Modi for libel in 2012 after the former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner claimed that the ex-Blackcap was involved in match-fixing via his Twitter account. As a result, Cairns was awarded £90,000 in damages.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, who is a barrister and a close friend of Cairns, also appeared at Southwark Crown Court after he was charged with perverting the course of justice.

Both Cairns and Fitch-Holland will now have to appear at Southwark Crown Court on January 16 for a plea and case management hearing.