The defence in Chris Cairns' perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court in London has ended its cross examination of Lou Vincent, telling the former Black Cap he gave match fixing investigators Cairns' name to serve his own purposes
Chris Cairns arriving at court. Photo: Getty
Vincent claims Cairns, who is on trial accused of lying under oath about fixing in another court case, instructed him to deliberately underperform in matches in India and England in 2008.
Defence lawyer Orlando Pownall QC put it to Vincent that he knew his own fixing was going to be uncovered so he gave authorities a big name to help him get off the hook.
"You knew that by 2013 your number was up….You thought to yourself, if I can give them a big enough name that will help you. And that name was Chris Cairns," Mr Pownall told Vincent.
Vincent said he did what he did for the good of the sport and because he was ashamed of himself.
However, Mr Pownall told Vincent he acted for the greater good of himself because it meant he would not go to prison and it would help him sell a book he was planning.
The court heard through Vincent's statement to the ICC that he had mentioned writing a book about match fixing called Hero to Zero with his wife Susie Vincent.
The defence said the title was a reference to Cairns, but Vincent told the court it was about himself.
Vincent also disputed whether it was a book, telling the jury it was his personal memoirs, which he had written down as part of his psychotherapy, and that now it was gone.
The court heard Vincent had sent New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills a copy of the transcripts, which he later asked him to delete. "I didn't want something personal being out there," Vincent told the jury.
Fleming "dirty" accusation
Earlier Vincent told the court former Black Cap captain Stephen Fleming cornered him in a bar in South Africa and told him he knew he and Cairns were "dirty."
Vincent said it was harrowing to have Fleming, someone he respected and knew to be a clean player, accuse him of match fixing.
However, defence lawyer Mr Pownall put it to Vincent that Fleming only said he was dirty and not Cairns, which Vincent denied.
Modi links
The court also heard Vincent emailed Lalit Modi in the lead up to the 2012 libel case, contemplating giving evidence against Cairns.
He asked Mr Modi if he had enough evidence and told him to get in touch when he was in the UK.
Vincent said he never ended up giving evidence because he "still had an allegiance to Cairns at the time" and he owed him a lot of money.
Mr Pownall accused Vincent of "playing both ends against the middle."
Vincent also said he never gave a statement in support of Cairns' libel case because he said he did not want to put his name to a legal statement he knew was not true.
Mr Pownall put it to Vincent that the reason why he did not give evidence in support of Cairns was not because he was worried about lying, but because he was worried about his emails to Mr Modi surfacing.
Charity money
Lou Vincent and wife Susie Vincent. Photo: RNZ / Cushla Norman
The jury heard that Vincent had received four payments for 15,500 pounds sterling into his bank account in 2012. Mr Pownall asked Vincent what he had done to deserve this money and whether it was just an act of charity from Indian bookie Varun Gandhi.
Vincent told the court that yes, the money was to help him out because he was struggling financially after his divorce.
Friendly emails
Mr Pownall read out a series of friendly emails Vincent had sent to Cairns and his wife Mel in 2011. In the emails Vincent called Cairns "lad," hoped his family were OK in the Christchurch earthquakes and mentioned the couple's soon-to-be born baby.
Mr Pownall put it to Vincent that Cairns was a friend.
This "sounds like you were talking to a friend, someone you liked -- not someone who owed you $250,000 and introduced you to corruption," said Mr Pownall.
But Vincent told the court he was "trying to be gently nice" and keep communication channels open because he was still owed money.
