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| Vicky Pryce 'cooked up dishonest defence', jury hears | Vicky Pryce 'cooked up dishonest defence', jury hears |
| (4 months later) | |
| The ex-wife of the disgraced cabinet minister Chris Huhne "cooked up a dishonest defence" with her friend and part-time judge Constance Briscoe, Southwark crown court in London has heard. | The ex-wife of the disgraced cabinet minister Chris Huhne "cooked up a dishonest defence" with her friend and part-time judge Constance Briscoe, Southwark crown court in London has heard. |
| Vicky Pryce sought to get "added legal protection" to prevent herself being prosecuted by having the word "pressurised" inserted in a confidentiality contract she had drawn up with the Sunday Times when she went to the paper with the speeding points story, the jury was told. | Vicky Pryce sought to get "added legal protection" to prevent herself being prosecuted by having the word "pressurised" inserted in a confidentiality contract she had drawn up with the Sunday Times when she went to the paper with the speeding points story, the jury was told. |
| Pryce, 60, an economist, has pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice by taking Huhne's speeding points a decade ago and is claiming a defence of marital coercion. Huhne has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence. | Pryce, 60, an economist, has pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice by taking Huhne's speeding points a decade ago and is claiming a defence of marital coercion. Huhne has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence. |
| Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said that shortly before the Sunday Times published its story, Pryce wrote in an email to the paper's political editor Isabel Oakeshott: "The point RE pressurised is to give me added legal protection". | Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said that shortly before the Sunday Times published its story, Pryce wrote in an email to the paper's political editor Isabel Oakeshott: "The point RE pressurised is to give me added legal protection". |
| During cross-examination, Edis said the email was written while Pryce was in "ongoing discussions with Constance Briscoe". "She told you if you put the word 'pressurised' in you will get added legal protection." He said: "You and she have cooked up a dishonest defence for you, is that right?" Pryce replied: "No, it is not right." | During cross-examination, Edis said the email was written while Pryce was in "ongoing discussions with Constance Briscoe". "She told you if you put the word 'pressurised' in you will get added legal protection." He said: "You and she have cooked up a dishonest defence for you, is that right?" Pryce replied: "No, it is not right." |
| Edis continued: "She said that because she was telling you about marital coercion … that's what added legal protection is?" | Edis continued: "She said that because she was telling you about marital coercion … that's what added legal protection is?" |
| Pryce replied: "She has never mentioned marital coercion to me." The jury has heard Briscoe, 55, helped Pryce in dealings with newspapers, but Briscoe was not being called as a witness as she had been arrested for allegedly lying to police about her involvement with the press. | Pryce replied: "She has never mentioned marital coercion to me." The jury has heard Briscoe, 55, helped Pryce in dealings with newspapers, but Briscoe was not being called as a witness as she had been arrested for allegedly lying to police about her involvement with the press. |
| Edis said the defence of marital coercion depended on a husband being physically present at the time the crime was committed and pressurising a wife. | Edis said the defence of marital coercion depended on a husband being physically present at the time the crime was committed and pressurising a wife. |
| Pryce said Huhne stood "pen in hand" by the hallway table and forced her to sign a form saying she was driving his car when it was clocked speeding on the M11 as the then MEP travelled home to Clapham, south London, from Stansted airport after a European parliamentary session at Strasbourg. | Pryce said Huhne stood "pen in hand" by the hallway table and forced her to sign a form saying she was driving his car when it was clocked speeding on the M11 as the then MEP travelled home to Clapham, south London, from Stansted airport after a European parliamentary session at Strasbourg. |
| But, said Edis, Pryce had not told Oakeshott, or her eldest daughter, Georgia Beesley, or police that Huhne had done this, because she had "made it up since". | But, said Edis, Pryce had not told Oakeshott, or her eldest daughter, Georgia Beesley, or police that Huhne had done this, because she had "made it up since". |
| Pryce replied: "I have not made it up since." She added that it was "a very embarrassing moment for me and one I regret". | Pryce replied: "I have not made it up since." She added that it was "a very embarrassing moment for me and one I regret". |
| Edis asked how Huhne had forced Pryce to sign the form. Had he threatened her? "There was no threat, was there?" he said. | Edis asked how Huhne had forced Pryce to sign the form. Had he threatened her? "There was no threat, was there?" he said. |
| She replied: "He made threat by implication that this would be a pretty terrible thing for me not to comply with." | She replied: "He made threat by implication that this would be a pretty terrible thing for me not to comply with." |
| Edis said Pryce took the points as a "quick fix to an inconvenient problem", in order to prevent Huhne, who already had nine points on his licence, from being disqualified from driving as the couple had very "busy lives". | Edis said Pryce took the points as a "quick fix to an inconvenient problem", in order to prevent Huhne, who already had nine points on his licence, from being disqualified from driving as the couple had very "busy lives". |
| "You were living in a very wealthy family, weren't you? Mr Huhne, in newspaper articles, is referred to as a multimillionaire with, what is it, five houses?" he asked. | "You were living in a very wealthy family, weren't you? Mr Huhne, in newspaper articles, is referred to as a multimillionaire with, what is it, five houses?" he asked. |
| "Maybe more," replied Pryce. She said he had acquired a portfolio of ex-council houses "and used to rent them out to make up his MP's salary". They were regarded as "reasonably well off" and the houses were "certainly worth more than £1m, so in that regard, yes, we were multimillionaires". | "Maybe more," replied Pryce. She said he had acquired a portfolio of ex-council houses "and used to rent them out to make up his MP's salary". They were regarded as "reasonably well off" and the houses were "certainly worth more than £1m, so in that regard, yes, we were multimillionaires". |
| "And very substantial incomes as well," said Edis, adding that Huhne had inherited and had been given some money by his father. | "And very substantial incomes as well," said Edis, adding that Huhne had inherited and had been given some money by his father. |
| Pryce replied: "We had a reasonable amount of money. We were not filthy rich, we were just well off." | Pryce replied: "We had a reasonable amount of money. We were not filthy rich, we were just well off." |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |
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