Cairns could be jailed for up to seven years if he is found guilty

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Chris Cairns will have to wait to learn his fate in the ongoing perjury trial after the jury were unable to reach a majority verdict before the week’s proceedings were adjourned to Monday at 4.30pm on Friday.

Cairns, who has been charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, could be given a seven-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.

The jury deliberated for more than eight hours, but were unable to come to a conclusion.

Cairns’ perjury and perverting the course of justice charges stem from his successful 2012 libel case against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, who accused Cairns of match-fixing via Twitter in 2010.

While Mr Justice Sweeney, the judge overseeing the ongoing trial, has said that the jury is under no time pressure to reach a verdict, there is a possibility of a retrial should there be no progress made next week.