Chris Huhne’s ex-wife pleaded not guilty yesterday to perverting the course of justice and will advance a defence of marital coercion.
Vicky Pryce appeared in the dock alongside the former Cabinet minister, who has also been charged over allegations that she accepted speeding points on his behalf.
Mr Huhne, 57, did not enter a plea to an identical charge at Southwark Crown Court, in central London. His arraignment was adjourned for an application to dismiss the charge, likely to be heard in July.
Mr Huhne, the former Energy Secretary, resigned in February after prosecutors charged him with perverting the course of justice over allegations that he persuaded his wife to accept his speeding points almost a decade ago. He did not look at Ms Pryce as they sat in the dock for almost half an hour.
Mr Huhne, who remains the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, was wearing a dark suit and maroon polka-dot tie. He did not speak during the hearing.
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Ms Pryce, 59, from Clapham, South London, wore a beige linen jacket and brown knee-length skirt. She spoke only to confirm her name. She was listed in court by her Greek forename, Vasiliki. Mr Justice Saunders heard that her defence would be one of “marital coercion”.
Both have hired top barristers for the trial, which is provisionally set down for October 2. The MP has hired John Kelsey Fry, QC, the barrister who successfully defended Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, against tax evasion charges.
Ms Pryce is represented by Clare Montgomery, QC, who led the prosecution team in the Swedish request for the extradition of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
The events that led to the charges date back to March 2003, when Mr Huhne’s car was allegedly caught by a speed camera on the motorway between Stansted airport, in Essex, and London. In 2010, the father of five admitted an affair with Carina Trimingham, 44, a PR adviser, and ended his 26-year marriage.
It is alleged that between March 12, 2003 and May 21, 2003, Ms Pryce falsely informed police that she was the driver of the car, thereby accepting responsibility for the offence so that Mr Huhne could avoid prosecution.
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Both defendants were released on unconditional bail until a pre-trial hearing on a date to be fixed, probably next month. Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.