Cairns angry, bewildered with police

I don’t want to seem like a whack job,’’ he said, after a calm start. ‘‘I’ve been wracking my brains for months, I’ve been f...ed over.

Jurors in the Chris Cairns trial have had a verbal sneak preview of the accused man himself, with his police statement played through the Southwark Crown Court sound system yesterday.

They got full spectrum Cairns, with his emotions ranging from calm to unleashing several swear words as he reacted to some of the evidence levelled against him.

‘‘Seriously? These are the accusations in regard to this? This is why I can’t get money? This is why I can’t make a living? This is it?’’ he said at one point.

Cairns, 45, is now not expected to give evidence until probably Monday after legal wranglings absorbed hours of court time this week.

He is charged with perjury, and both he and and his former legal advisor Andrew Fitch-Holland, 50, are on trial for perverting the course of justice.

It is alleged Cairns lied under oath in court in 2012 when he said he’d ‘‘never’’ cheated at cricket, while Fitch-Holland is alleged to have sought a false statement to support his friend’s case against Indian businessman Lalit Modi. Both deny all charges. Talking to Metropolitan Police detective Lucy Wade in 2014, Cairns was a mixture of apparent exasperation, anger and bewilderment.

He was the victim of conspiracies, he said.

‘‘I don’t want to seem like a whack job,’’ he said, after a calm start. ‘‘I’ve been wracking my brains for months, I’ve been f...ed over.’’

He was interviewed by police in April 2014 and May 2014, in relation to statements made by Lou Vincent and his ex-wife Elly Riley, and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, all of whom have now told the court he talked to them about match-fixing.

When details of a night out on the town with former England international Andrew ‘‘Freddie’’ Flintoff, Vincent, Riley and his wife Mel, which formed part of Riley’s evidence to the court were first put to him, he flared up.

He told police the accusations had cost him work and put him into financial difficulties. He appeared incredulous about what Riley had said, unleashing several swear words.

In her evidence, Riley had told the jury she had been concerned about Vincent match fixing, so had talked to Cairns that night about her fears.

He had tried to placate her, she alleges, by saying everyone was doing it and they were safe.

With regard to Vincent, Cairns said he was ‘‘always up and down, and that was without medication’’.

As his captain at the Chandigarh Lions in 2008, he had tried to help his troubled opening batsman, who had mental health, drug and alcohol problems, but said he had other players to look after.

Cairns told police he had asked Vincent to provide a statement to help him in the Modi case, and the batsman had appeared to indicate he would, though he seemed to want payment for it.

‘‘He was looking for remuneration for providing something he felt would be helpful to me,’’ Cairns said. ‘‘He never said money, and I never said money, but without a shadow of a doubt we were talking about money.’’

Vincent has told the court Cairns asked him to underperform with the Chandigarh, scoring 10 to 15 runs off 20 balls and getting out. Cairns said in his statement Vincent’s evidence was ‘‘completely false’’.

Knowing how a batsman is going to play gives those in the know the ability to make money betting on brackets of overs, and the match outcome.

Cairns seemed baffled when asked about a 2008 Kolkata hotel meeting in his room with McCullum, at which the New Zealand captain told the court they shared a meal and wine, before Cairns allegedly raised the topic of spread betting. He could not recall a specific meeting with McCullum, Cairns said. ‘‘I may have bumped in to him, there were a lot of the boys (New Zealand cricketers) in and out and around.’’

Asked if he had told McCullum ‘‘everyone was doing it (fixing)’’ Cairns responded ‘‘Brendon McCullum?’’

Asked if he’d told McCullum ‘‘not to miss out’’ on his chance to make money match fixing, Cairns said ‘‘No ... Brendon is misconstruing a discussion we might have been having.’’

Vincent recorded a Skype conversation he had with FitchHolland in March 2011, which the prosecution alleged showed the lawyer was trying to get a witness to support a ‘‘bogus libel claim’’ by Cairns against Modi, whom Cairns took to court for tweeting in 2010 that Cairns had been involved in match-fixing.

Fitch-Holland batted away the crown arguments one at a time.

He said he was unaware Vincent had ‘‘surreptitiously’’ taped the call, and unaware Vincent was involved in match-fixing. He was concerned about that and the way ‘‘he tried to steer me into some interesting areas.’’

He did not accept the tape indicated he was trying to obtain a false statement from Vincent, that he was aware his client had been match fixing, and that Cairns owed Vincent US$250,000 for his services for fixing.

Fitch-Holland said he knew there was match fixing in the ICL, but not that Vincent or Cairns could be involved. When he said on the Skype interview ‘‘we all know some of what is being said is clearly true’’, he was referring to fixing in the ICL by Indian players, he said.

In the parts of the tape where Vincent talks of not being paid, saying ‘‘I have not seen anything for what’s happened’’, that was about the ICL reneging on paying out its contracts to players, not about Cairns owing Vincent money, Fitch-Holland added.

‘‘Lou Vincent is up to his neck in match fixing and he’s trying to throw Chris Cairns under the bus . . . and I’m collateral damage,’’ he said, claiming Vincent was ‘‘a selfconfessed corrupt man and a liar’’ out to extort money from Cairns. ‘‘He’s played an absolute blinder . . . all credit to him.’’

Chris Cairns, pictured left, when questioned by police.