Sasha Wass QC is a tough cross-examiner. And in the case of Chris Cairns’ co-accused Andrew Fitch-Holland, himself a colourful character, the two have clashed in the perjury trial involving the two.
Fitch-Holland’s legal background has seen him repeatedly request for Ms Wass to clarify her questions, which lead to trial judge Justice Nigel Sweeney calling for an end to the “tendentious arguments.”
“Each chose their words carefully and don’t nit-pick, which means proper questions and proper answers,” he went on to direct. “That is the end of such exchanges.”
Ms Wass opened her cross-examination by asking Fitch-Holland if he would agree he has had a chequered career.
Fitch-Holland took exception to the question asking, “Is there some kind of implied moral criticism by the word chequered?”
Ms Wass also focused on the financial dealings between Cairns and Fitch-Holland, reading an email from Fitch-Holland to Cairns asking for funds following the successful libel trial against Lalit Modi in 2012. The email indicated that Fitch-Holland was under a great deal of pressure and “very pissed off.”
Cairns had received damages from the trial and Fitch-Holland “felt since he had that chunk of money he’d honour the commitment to settle up my expenses”.
Fitch-Holland said he had to borrow money from his girlfriend at the time for travel and other expenses to support Cairns and expected the first thing he would do would be to honour that support.
“I’ve received exactly nothing, not even the cost of a train fare.”
He said from his perspective, it felt that he no longer mattered.
“My usefulness to you was at an end.”
See: >> Match-fixing just “Pub Talk” says Fitch-Holland
He ended the email saying how “very sad” it was to be writing to Cairns like this and that he hopes “you actually are the man I thought you were”.
Fitch-Holland also told the jury about an incident in 2009 in which former Australian cricketer Rod Marsh refused to sign a cricket bat which had been signed by Cairns.
Ms Wass used it as another example of Cairns’ name being caught up with talk of match fixing. The others were rumours when he left the Indian Cricket League in 2008 and the Modi tweet in 2010.
Fitch-Holland’s relationship with Cairns’ current wife Mel Cairns has come up several times during the trial, and he reiterated that he was not very fond of Mel at the time her and Cairns started seeing one another.
He was asked what he meant when he previously said that Mel is the kind of girl who likes bright, shiny things.
“That she liked nice shoes and clothes, that sort of thing,” he explained.
“Bright, shiny things like diamonds?” asked Ms Wass.
Fitch-Holland said he “wasn’t referring to diamonds”, but agreed it was a fair to say that he was suggesting she was some sort of gold digger.
When asked about his dreams of working in the cricketing industry Fitch-Holland said he “enjoyed the game immensely” in the past, but now he is now over cricket.
“Believe me, after this experience, if I never go near a cricket ground again,” he said.
During evidence led by his own lawyer and before cross-examination Fitch-Holland made the point that even the “most skilful of barristers can make the most honest of witnesses look like a lying fool”.
The trial is now close to its end with final addresses from the lawyers and the Judge’s summing up before the jury retires.
The post Clashing Lawyers in Cairns’ Perjury Trial appeared first on LawFuel New Zealand.