Lou Vincent walking to Southwark Crown Court where he has been a witness at the trial of Chris Cairns. Photo / Chris Gorman
Lou Vincent walking to Southwark Crown Court where he has been a witness at the trial of Chris Cairns. Photo / Chris Gorman
An application to become a volunteer firefighter from troubled former cricketer Lou Vincent been rejected by the New Zealand Fire Service due to his involvement with the Cairns trial.
Vincent applied to become a volunteer firefighter in Raglan, west of Hamilton, Waikato Fire Service area commander Roy Breeze confirmed.
But due to his role as a witness at the current trial of former player Chris Cairns, at the Southwark Crown Court in London, the application was denied.
Chris Cairns outside Southwark Crown Court. Photo / Chris Gorman
The Cairns trial has been ongoing for six weeks - the former Black Cap is charged with perverting the course of justice and perjury, after a High Court libel trial in London where Cairns won damages of $174,000 and costs of $775,000 against former Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi.
As a witness in the current trial, Vincent alleged he was offered cash and sex to fix games when playing for the Chandigarh Lions, captained by Cairns, in the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2008.
He claimed Cairns recruited him into the "evil world" of fixing games and alleged he was offered US$50,000 ($76,000) to score between 10 to 15 runs each game by cairns, but was never paid.
Vincent admitted his role in the match fixing scandal, and received 11 life bans from the England and Wales Cricket Board for fixing during some games.
According to the fire service, due to its statutory powers and the "position of trust and integrity" it holds in public perception, employees and volunteers must be screened.
As part of the service's "screening policy," prospective employees and volunteers are checked for for criminal and traffic convictions, and other relevant information.
The checks are designed to ensure the service makes "appropriate appointment decisions in respect of people who do have convictions and to ensure community trust in those representing the fire service is well founded."
