Ex-MP Huhne and Pryce facing jail

Mar 11 2013

Disgraced MP Chris Huhne and his ex-wife Vicky Pryce are facing jail as they are sentenced for perverting the course of justice.

Former Cabinet minister Huhne and economist Pryce have been warned by Mr Justice Sweeney to be under no illusion about what punishment they face at Southwark Crown Court this afternoon.

Pryce, 60, was found guilty last week of perverting the course of justice by taking speeding points for Huhne, 58, in 2003. The former energy secretary pleaded guilty to the charge on the first day of a planned joint trial last month, ending months of denials.

Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with an average sentence of around 10 months. Huhne is also facing a hefty legal bill after the CPS announced plans to recoup the costs of his "sustained challenges" against the prosecution before his 11th-hour guilty plea.

The case has brought an end to Huhne's once-promising political career - his charge forced him to stand down as energy secretary and his guilty plea prompted his resignation as Eastleigh MP.

The offence dates back a decade to 2003 when Pryce took speeding points for her then-husband. She tried to claim Huhne forced her into taking the points, using a defence of marital coercion, but she was convicted last week after a retrial.

Pryce's high-profile case exposed more details about the couple's break-up in June 2010, when Huhne left her for PR adviser Carina Trimingham.

Mother-of-five Pryce, who pursued a press campaign in a bid to "nail" him, told jurors that during their 26-year marriage he prioritised his career over hers, even demanding twice that she had an abortion.

The trial also sparked questions about how much senior Lib Dems knew about the points-swapping story before it appeared in the press in May 2011. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and business secretary Vince Cable were forced to deny suggestions in emails from Pryce to Sunday Times political editor Isabel Oakeshott that they knew about the scandal before it became public.

Huhne and Pryce will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court