Cairns pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the Old Bailey.

Carins faces these allegations after he was awarded £90,000 in damages when ex-Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi accused him of match-fixing via Twitter in January 2010.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, a barrister who appeared as a witness for Cairns during the trial in 2010, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice.

Fitch-Holland stands accused of persuading former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent, who was banned for life last year, to provide a false witness statement that supported Cairns’ claims.

Both Cairns and Fitch-Holland only spoke to confirm their names and enter not guilty pleas to their charges, which were read out by Mr Justice Sweeney.

There will now be a pre-trial hearing in July before Cairns and Fitch-Holland learn their fate during a four-week trial, which will get underway on October 5 at Southwark Crown Court.