Cairns charged with perjury

Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, has been 

formally charged with perjury. Cairns attended a North 

London police station on Thursday to hear the charge, which 

carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, a London barrister who gave 

evidence in the libel case against Lalit Modi from which the 

charge emanates, has also been charged with one count of 

perverting the course of Justice.

In a separate development, lawyers representing Modi have 

begun civil proceedings against Cairns to recover £90,000 

paid in damages and costs following the libel case in 2012.

A previous statement from the Crown Prosecution Service 

statement said: "We can confirm that we have authorised 

police to charge Chris Cairns with one count of perjury, 

which arises from a libel trial held in the UK in March 2012.