(Reuters)
Lawyers are expected to make closing arguments as the Wagatha Christie court case enters its final day.
Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney have been battling it out at the High Court for more than a week over a libel claim between the two footballers’ wives.
Ms Vardy is suing Ms Rooney for accusing her Instagram account as being how private information was getting in the hands of The Sun.
The High Court has heard evidence on Ms Vardy’s relationships with the media, including messages with her agent discussing whether to leak stories. She denies it was “standard practice” to give tips to The Sun.
The husbands had a spat of their own earlier this week after Jamie Vardy – who has not taken the witness stand – accused Wayne Rooney of “talking nonsense” in his evidence to court.
Mr Rooney had told the court a former England manager once asked him to speak to teammate to get him to “calm down” his wife Rekebah, whose media work was said to be causing a distraction during Euro 2016.
The trial is set to resume on Thursday after a break on Wednesday.
The fake stories at the heart of the Wagatha Christie plan
At the very heart of the trial is Coleen Rooney accusing Rebekah Vardy’s account as leaking information from her private Instagram to The Sun.
Her elaborate plan to try and find the source of the leaks is what earned her the nickname “Wagatha Christie”.
And on the penultimate day of the trial, the High Court saw the fake stories posted on Instagram to “trap” Ms Vardy.
Chiara Giordano has the details:
Zoe Tidman19 May 2022 09:32
‘True to form, Wayne Rooney may have just decided the game’
Wayne Rooney took to the stand the last day the court sat.
“The witness box of Court 13 is far from the only box into which Wayne Rooney has made a well-timed late arrival, and the results were typically devastating,” Tom Peckour political sketch writer, said.
Read his take on the Derby manager’s evidence:
Zoe Tidman19 May 2022 09:08
What happened last?
Before day seven of the trial gets going, here is a reminder of what happened on day six:
Zoe Tidman19 May 2022 08:40
Wagatha Christie case to draw to a close
The trial is due to draw to a close today.
Lawyers for both Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney are set to make their closing arguments to the High Court.
It is expected to kick back off again at 10.30am. Stay tuned.
Zoe Tidman19 May 2022 08:11
Opinion: If Wagatha Christie has taught us anything, it’s to never underestimate the power of the ‘unfollow’
The longer time you spend on social media, the more people you will have annoyed, writes Sunny Hundal.
That’s my theory. Since I can’t expect everyone to agree with everything I say, the equation is simple: more opinions = more haters. And as someone who has been very online and very opinionated for about 20 years, believe me I have accumulated a batch of haters.
Tom Batchelor19 May 2022 06:44
Who’s who in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ case
There are around half a dozen key figures in the case, including lesser known names such as Caroline Watt and David Sherborne.
We have compiled a hand guide to the individuals involved:
Tom Batchelor19 May 2022 03:44
How the Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy row unfolded
After months of legal wrangling, the much anticipated “Wagatha Christie” High Court libel trial is set to conclude.
Here is how the public row between footballers’ wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy unfolded over the past two and a half years:
Tom Batchelor19 May 2022 01:44
What to expect on Thursday
The final day of court proceedings begins on Thursday at 10.30am.
Barristers for both women are expected to give their closing speeches at the Royal Courts Of Justice.
We will have latest updates throughout the day in this blog.
Tom Batchelor18 May 2022 22:49
Timeline: What happened in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel case?
The Wagatha Christie burst into the public conciousness on October 19, 2019 when Coleen Rooney took to Twitter to issue an astonishing attack on Rebekah Vardy, accusing her of betraying her confidence in pursuit of personal gain.
Here Joe Sommerlad gives a full run down of everything that has happened since:
Zoe Tidman18 May 2022 14:25
Barristers for both Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy are expected to give their closing speeches on the final day of the case on Thursday, after a break today.
Rooney accused Vardy of leaking “false stories” about her private life in October 2019 after she said she carried out a months-long “sting operation” which saw her dubbed “Wagatha Christie”.
Vardy denies the allegations and has sued the fellow footballer’s wife for damages for libel over the “untrue and unjustified defamatory attack”.
Chris Baynes18 May 2022 14:22