The judge in Chris Cairns' perjury trial had to step in and cut short proceedings today after an emotional and fatigued Lou Vincent struggled to recall events under cross examination.
Lou Vincent arriving at court today with wife Susie. Photo: RNZ/ Cushla Norman
During rigourous questioning Cairns' defence lawyer Orlando Pownall QC accused Vincent of changing his story constantly and making things up as he went along.
Cairns, a former Black Cap, is on trial in London accused of lying under oath during his successful defamation case against the former chairman of the Indian Premier League Lalit Modi, who had accused him of match fixing.
During cross examination the defence told Vincent his account of events was a nonsense and that he was never match fixing for Cairns but for Indian bookie Varun Gandhi.
Mr Pownall told Vincent that his first meeting with Mr Ghandi, which Vincent said he rebuffed, did not withstand scrutiny.
He said Vincent had omitted to disclose to cricketing authorities investigating match fixing that he had in fact had sex with the prostitute offered by Mr Ghandi as a "gift."
Vincent replied that he had not revealed that detail at the time because of the horrendous state his relationship with his former wife had been in and he did not want to make it worse.
Chris Cairns arriving at court. Photo: RNZ/ Cushla Norman
His voice wavering, Vincent asked Mr Pownall to respect his reasons for not disclosing the sex and asked Justice Sweeney if the defence could move on from that point.
The defence then went onto question why Vincent never "paused for breath" at the point the former Black Cap says Cairns told him he was working for him. Vincent replied that it was because he felt empowered by Cairns.
Vincent told the court he could not recall if Cairns ever said over the phone who else was fixing, but he said it was clear from a meeting with four players in a hotel room who it was.
Vincent said he, Cairns, Dinesh Mongia and Daryl Tuffey all fixed while playing for the Chandigarh Lions.
However, Mr Pownall put it to Vincent that Tuffey was not involved, to which Vincent replied that he was and had given a statement in support of Cairns in the libel case.
"Where is he today?" Vincent asked about Tuffey. "Is he going to help defend Chris Cairns this time around?"
Mr Pownall went onto question why Vincent continued to fix for Cairns if he only ever received a couple of thousand dollars.
"You carried on month after month betraying your sport for nothing," said Mr Pownall.
Vincent told the court he was clearly used by Cairns. "He used and abused me, spat me up and threw me out, and went running and hiding."
Mr Pownall asked Vincent why it took him three years to question Tuffey as to whether he'd received any fixing money from Cairns.
Vincent told the court that he'd believed Cairns when he said he would pay him one day. However, he did confront Tuffey in 2010 and said Tuffey had told him he "hadn't seen a cent" from Cairns and that "he'd f*****g kill him."
