Cairns pleads not guilty during hearing at the Old Bailey

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

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.

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