Cairns' lawyer wants British police to try Vincent

London, Sep 4 (IANS) Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns' lawyers want the British lawyers to prosecute his former teammate Lou Vincent for match fixing.

Cairns' lawyer Rhory Robertson said in a statement that Vincent's activities were referred to Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) July 2 "with a view to his prosecution". Cairns is also under investigation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for match fixing.

Cairns has also been investigated by the Metropolitan Police, who have passed on a file to the Crown Prosecution Service. He is being investigated over suspicions of perverting the course of justice in his libel trial he won against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi in 2012, who had accused him of fixing. 

Robertson pointed that out that three Pakistan cricketers and Mervyn Westfield, an Essex fast bowler, have been jailed for corruption offences in recent years.

Vincent has already been fined and banned for life from cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after he admitted he accepted money to fix matches while playing for Sussex in 2011.

The former batsman has also confessed to fixing matches as a Lancashire player in 2008. But the MPS has not pressed criminal charges against Vincent yet.

"I can confirm that on 2 July 2014 I referred Mr Vincent's serious criminal activities to the Metropolitan Police Service with a view to his prosecution," Robertson was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

"Our legal system has as its core the principle that all people are treated equally before the law. No one, including the MPS and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service), can be unreasonably selective as to when and against whom they apply the law. Lou Vincent's admitted offences are serious and have so far gone unsanctioned. This failure to prosecute is unacceptable," he added.

The legal cases have taken a toll on Cairns' finances. Former New Zealand all-rounder Dion Nash was quoted as saying in the New Zealand media that Cairns, who was one of the best paid cricketers, is now making a living by driving a council truck in Auckland and water blasting bus shelters.