Cricketer Chris Cairns to be charged with perjury over Twibel trial

The Crown Prosecution Service has issued a statement confirming that it has authorised police to charge former New Zealand Test Cricketer Chris Cairns with one count of perjury arising from a 2012 libel trial.

In 2012 Mr Cairns successfully sued Mr Modi, the former Chairman and Commissioner of the Indian Premier League Lalit Modi, after a 2010 tweet in which Mr Modi had stated Mr Cairns had been involved in match fixing.  Mr Modi failed to persuade the High Court that the allegation was true.  Mr Justice Bean awarded Mr Cairns the sum of £90,000 in damages.  It was the first time that the High Court had heard a libel trial based on a tweet (dubbed a 'twibel').  Our report of the libel case can be found here.

Mr Cairns denies the perjury allegation and has indicated that he will travel to the UK to defend the allegations.

A barrister Andrew Fitch-Holland, who appeared as a witness for Cairns at the libel trial, is to face one charge of perverting the course of justice.