Chris Huhne facing jail sentence after admitting perverting course of justice

[Gabbar Singh]

Oh dear - what a fall from grace for Britain's number 1 Champagne Environmentalist.

If he hadn't cheated on his wife by having an affair all of this would never have come out - an expensive mistake.

Chris Huhne facing jail sentence after admitting perverting course of justice

The former cabinet minister Chris Huhne is facing a jail sentence after he admitted perverting the course of justice in a last-minute change of plea.

As he left court on unconditional bail, Huhne made a brief statement, saying said he was resigning his parliamentary seat after taking responsibility for something that happened 10 years ago.

On the first day of what was to be his trial at Southwark crown court, the Liberal Democrat MP entered a plea of guilty over claims his ex-wife took speeding points for him 10 years ago.

Huhne, 58, the former energy secretary, had pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing last week.

The charges relate to allegations that in 2003 he persuaded his then wife, Vicky Pryce, 60, an economist, to take speeding points so that he could avoid prosecution.

Carina Trimingham, 46, the PR adviser for whom Huhne left his wife in 2010 after 26 years of marriage, sat in the public gallery behind the dock as the charge was again put to him on Monday morning.

Standing in the dock, Huhne, MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire, spoke clearly as he said "guilty" when asked how he pleaded.

He was charged with doing an act tending or intending to pervert the course of justice between 12 March 2003 and 21 May 2003.

Pryce has pleaded not guilty to the charge on the grounds of marital coercion.

Her case was adjourned until 10am on Tuesday at Southwark, when a trial is expected to start. She was granted unconditional bail.

The charges relate to an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on the motorway between Stansted airport and London. The allegation emerged in 2011 after the end of his marriage.

Huhne was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced at a later date.

Huhne stepped down from the cabinet in February last year after he was charged. At the time he vowed he would fight the charges.

Granting Huhne unconditional bail, judge Mr Justice Sweeney said: "I will deal with your sentence on a date to be notified. It is essential that you attend, on that date."

He added that as Huhne's barrister, John Kelsey-Fry, had foreshadowed: "You should have no illusion whatsoever as to the sort of sentence that you are likely to receive."

Huhne, whose father was also in the public gallery, indicated he understood.

As he left the court. Huhne said: "I pleaded guilty today. I am unable to say more while there is an outstanding trial. But having taken responsibility for something which happened 10 years ago the only proper course of action is now for me to resign my Eastleigh seat in parliament, which I will now do very shortly."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/04/chris-huhne-facing-jail-justice

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce jailed for eight months

Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his former wife Vicky Pryce have both been jailed for eight months for perverting the course of justice.

The pair, sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, were convicted after she took driving licence points for him after he was caught speeding in 2003.

Huhne received a 10% reduction in his sentence because he pleaded guilty.

Pryce had claimed the defence of marital coercion, but was convicted last week.

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said the pair both decided together not to tell the truth.

During Pryce's trial, the prosecution alleged that she had chosen to take the points but later plotted to expose Huhne after he revealed he was having an affair with an aide and ended the couple's 26-year marriage.

Mr Justice Sweeney said Pryce's "weapon of choice" - telling newspapers she took the points - was a dangerous weapon because they had both broken the law.

And the momentum of the news story led to Pryce's "unmasking".

The judge added that Pryce hoped the police would not obtain evidence of her involvement, but they did.
Chris Huhne Chris Huhne was exposed to the full glare of the media spotlight during the trial

Mr Justice Sweeney said point-swapping was "all too easy to do" but it amounts to the serious criminal offence of perverting the course of justice.

He told the pair that "any element of tragedy" was entirely their own fault.

The CPS is understood to have run up about £100,000 in costs after Huhne attempted to have the prosecution against him thrown out before the trial began.

Earlier, the pair were greeted by hordes of photographers and TV cameras as they arrived at court.

Huhne, 58, arrived at Southwark Crown Court with partner Carina Trimingham, who he left Pryce for in June 2010. He resigned as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire after admitting the charge.

Huhne and Pryce, 60, were charged last year over an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's BMW car was caught by a speed camera on the M11 between Stansted Airport in Essex and London. He was an MEP at the time.

It was alleged that between 12 March and 21 May 2003, Pryce, a prominent economist, had falsely informed police she had been the driver of the car, so Huhne would avoid prosecution.

He was in danger of losing his licence having already accrued nine penalty points.
More on This Story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21737627

 

[carbon11]

they should have been fined and made to do community service, huhne would have lost his job anyhow

but prison for a traffic offence and then lying about it seems a bit overboard.

 

[Robert]

Oh dear.

How sad.

Never mind.

 

[James]

Looked very fresh-faced for his age when he appeared on telly regularly, which happened until quite recently. But this ordeal seems to have destroyed him physically and mentally. He looks awful.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

There's a lot of truth in the old saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Hope they both suffer for what was essentially a full blown domestic argument using the courts and the media.

Major LOLs at Vicky Price though, I doubt this is what she expected.

 

[James]

I was willing to give Chris the benefit of the doubt at first, but the longer this has gone on the more guilty and shameless he has appeared. As a liberal I do not like the Liberal Democrat party because they are not particularly liberal, but I do like some of their past and current MPs like Phil Willis, Paddy Ashdown, Tim Farron and Vince Cable, and I didn't mind Chris Huhne either, so this is a real shame.

 

[Markhor]

Chris Huhne was a good constituency MP - was a reason as to why the Liberal Democrats held onto Eastleigh, and fought his corner well in cabinet when a coalition minister but has committed a bad error of judgement.

On a side note, Tim Farron has had according to some political anoraks, a 'good scandal', and I have to agree, as Lib Dem President, a job created to represent members which the Lib Dems do far more than other parties, he has handled the media questions well and would make a good future leader.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Another MP (who is also a solicitor) has done the same. Thrown away her career just to avoid 3 points lol.

Labour MP Fiona Onasanya is facing a possible jail term after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice by lying to police in an attempt to avoid a speeding charge.

The 35-year-old solicitor was accused of colluding with her brother Festus after her car was clocked going 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney, near Peterborough.

https://news.sky.com/story/labour-m...for-perverting-the-course-of-justice-11586043