Cricketer Cairns found not guilty

SOUTHWARK – Former New Zealand cricket all-rounder Chris Cairns has been found not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

The jury at the Southwark crown court returned a not-guilty verdict on Monday night, ending a nine-week trial following a 10-hour deliberation.

“It’s been hell for the last five or so years, and in particular the last couple of years,” he said outside court.

“I think I’ve been through the mill and come out the other side and I’m just a very happy man. I think reputationally, I’m completely scorched. Burnt completely. But it hasn’t stopped me and it won’t stop me.”

Despite being cleared of the charges, he said his involvement in cricket appeared to be over.

“I don’t know what cricket holds for me but I’m just happy for my father and mother that they can hold their heads high in New Zealand,” he said.

“I think it would be a pretty hard environment to go back into. There’s been a lot of damage done and that’s unfortunate and sad.”

Cairns’ co-defendant and lawyer Andrew Fitch-Holland was also cleared of a perjury charge.

In 2012, Cairns successfully sued Indian businessman Lalit Modi, then chairman of the Indian Premier League, over a tweet that said Cairns had been involved in match fixing.

Cairns was accused of lying under oath during the libel case, when he told the court that he had “never” cheated at cricket and would not contemplate doing so.

That statement had been contradicted by others, including his former New Zealand teammates Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent, who was banned for life last year from all cricket after admitting to match-fixing in games in England.

Vincent told the court Cairns had tried to persuade him to take part in cheating.

McCullum had detailed how he rebuffed approaches by Cairns to be involved in a “business proposition”.

Cairns told the court he may have used that phrase, but would have been referring to endorsements and sponsorship opportunities.

“I don’t think people were there with malicious intent but I just think we’re talking a long time ago,” Cairns said.

“There were really only a couple of people who had that assertion.”

Cairns played in 62 Tests for the Black Caps and 215 one-day internationals between 1989 and 2006.

- ABC