“I thought he was talking about the auto crash that was the ICL”, Fitch-Holland told the court.
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Cairns and co-defendant Andrew Fitch-Holland are both accused of perverting the course of justice during the 2012 libel trial of former IPL boss Latit Modi.
Cairns won $174,000 in damages after Modi, on Twitter, accused Cairns of match-fixing during the 2008 ICL season.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh refused to sign a cricket bat, which already had Chris Cairns’ autograph, it was revealed during the latest hearing in the perjury case in which the former New Zealand all-rounder is prime accused, ESPNcricinfo reports.
During Monday’s cross examination of Cairns’s co-defendant, British barrister Andrew Fitch-Holland, the Crown sought to illustrate times when Cairns had turned to him for help.
“Rod Marsh said I’m not having anything to do with Mr Cairns, he wouldn’t sign a cricket bat”, Wass said to Fitch-Holland.
Fitch-Holland said he thought Vincent had planned to try to force money from Cairns for supplying a witness statement and Fitch-Holland also told the court how Vincent had kept steering the conversation towards money and Chris’s finances.
In his police interview, Fitch-Holland hoped that he would not be charged as Vincent was a self-confessed liar and cheat who had committed crimes in the United Kingdom.
In the Skype call, Vincent said “I have not seen any, um anything for what’s happened” and Fitch-Holland finished his sentence with “benefit yeah”.
Fitch-Holland, however, who denies perverting the course of justice, claimed that Vincent was referring to his involvement with the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL), an unsanctioned tournament that existed between 2007 and 2009.
“I’m not for one second suggesting that Chris Harris is lying, and you know perfectly well that I’m not”, Fitch-Holland told Wass.
Wass wasn’t close to buying that version of events, telling the court Fitch-Holland had come up with a “very convoluted” story that had put an innocent explanation on “very guilty words”.
“I disagree entirely. All I can tell you is what I thought he meant”.
Vincent had hinted to Cairns he wanted money for a statement, Fitch-Holland said.
“It can not have been about match-fixing, because quite simply that was not in my mind”.
Vincent later said: “It’s a big ask from me, to sort of like you say in a legal document to say something that isn’t true”.
AFH: what they are saying is you were one of the 11 people one the field in those games and from where you were standing everything seemed okay, full stop.
She said there was no reason for Fitch-Holland to think the conversation was about Cairns’ personal life, as he had split from his wife two years before the lunch in question.
“I would have said the only thing Chris Cairns is guilty of is not keeping his pants zipped up”. A lot of players blamed the demise of the Indian Cricket League and the fact they didn’t get paid for playing in it on Chris Cairns.
Fitch-Holland joined a conversation at the lunch, said Harris, and someone else said words to the effect of “Poor Cairnsy, what’s about Cairnsy?”
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Vincent: It’s a disgusting situation, because I also want to be there for a mate as well, and Cairnsy has been a mate, although you know like I have said I am not proud of what has happened at all.
