Huhne and Pryce sent to prison

11 March 2013 Last updated at 01:04 ET

Former cabinet minister Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce are due to be sentenced for perverting the course of justice.

They were both convicted after she took speeding points for him following an incident on the M11 in 2003.

Huhne resigned as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire after admitting the charge.

Pryce, who had claimed the defence of marital coercion, was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court last week.

'Inevitable consequences'

The Pryce verdict, after 12 hours of deliberations, came in a retrial.

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, warned the pair faced jail and the Crown Prosecution Service said it would try to recover costs.

The judge said: "Obviously Ms Pryce was present when I indicated to Mr Huhne the inevitable consequences of a conviction for an offence of this sort."

Speaking outside court, Pryce's solicitor Robert Brown said his client would not be making any comment until after sentencing took place.

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.

CPS lawyer Malcolm McHaffie said: "Chris Huhne made sustained challenges against the prosecution before pleading guilty at the last minute. This was expensive for the CPS and we will be applying for costs."

Expose politician

Huhne and Pryce 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.

The prosecution alleged that Pryce 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.

The court was told Pryce later told Sunday Times journalist Isabel Oakeshott what the couple had done and was persuaded that a carefully written story could expose the politician.

The Eastleigh by-election caused by Huhne's resignation was won by Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Thornton with a reduced share of the vote, ahead of the UK Independence Party in second, on 28 February.

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Pryce guilty over Huhne points swap

7 March 2013 Last updated at 10:00 ET

Ms Pryce will be sentenced at a later date

The former wife of ex-cabinet minister Chris Huhne has been found guilty of perverting the course of justice by taking speeding points on his behalf.

Vicky Pryce, 60, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of committing the offence over a speeding incident on the M11 in Essex in 2003.

She had denied the charge, saying Huhne had forced her to take the points.

Huhne, 58, admitted the same charge in February, resigning as Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, in Hampshire.

The decision is the result of a retrial, after a jury failed to reach a verdict in Pryce's original trial in February.

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, told her that she, like her ex-husband, should be under no illusion about the sentence she now faces.

He said sentencing of Pryce, who is from Clapham, south London, and Huhne will take place at a later date.

He granted Pryce bail until the next hearing but said she should be under "no illusion" about the type of sentence she now faces.

The pair were charged last year over an incident in March 2003 when Huhne's car was caught by a speed camera on the M11 motorway 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.

During both trials, Pryce accepted she had taken Huhne's points, but adopted a defence of marital coercion, claiming he had made her sign a form he had already completed in her name.

However, the prosecution alleged Pryce 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.

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Jury discharged in Pryce points case

20 February 2013 Last updated at 09:23 ET

Vicky Pryce says she was coerced by her then husband into breaking the law

The jury in the trial of ex-minister Chris Huhne's former wife Vicky Pryce has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

Ms Pryce, 60, from Clapham, London, was accused of perverting the course of justice by taking the former energy secretary's speeding points in 2003.

She denied the charge, saying he had coerced her into taking the points.

Huhne, 58, has admitted perverting the course of justice and resigned as Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh in Hampshire.

Ms Pryce will face a retrial, which could be as early as next week.

Ms Pryce's barrister Julian Knowles QC told the court she was suffering from high blood pressure, due to stress.

BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said it was unusual for a jury to ask so many questions, including one in which they had asked whether they could speculate on what had been in Ms Pryce's mind.

He said another question was: "Can a juror come to a verdict based on a reason that was not presented in court and has no facts or evidence to support it either from the prosecution or defence?"

Our correspondent said he suspected sentencing of Huhne would probably have to wait until after the retrial.

Huhne could face a prison sentence.

A by-election is being held in Eastleigh on 28 February to find a replacement for Huhne.

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