The trial came to a close on Thursday
Coleen Rooney has reportedly told friends she is “confident” of winning her High Court libel battle with Rebekah Vardy.
Thursday was the final day of the much-publicised legal dispute between the two, which began all the way back in 2019 when Rooney publicly accused Vardy of leaking stories to the media about her, in a saga dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie.’
Vardy denies the accusations and claims they are false and defamatory, and is suing Rooney for libel as a result.
The seven-day High Court libel case came to an end on Thursday (May 19) with all evidence having been heard by the judges and, according to a source, Coleen is sure the judges will rule in her favour.
The source told the Sunday Mirror: “After the trial, Coleen had a cup of tea and packed her bags for holiday, confident she had won.
“She has told friends she will be vindicated and she feels relieved that her truth is out there. This whole saga has been very painful.
“She isn’t counting her chickens as she knows the ultimate decision lies with the judge – but she’s adamant she has told the truth throughout and that justice will prevail.”
In his closing statement on Thursday, Rooney’s lawyer David Sherborne attacked Vardy’s credibility saying she had given “implausible, throwaway explanations” in the witness box.
He also told the court that Vardy’s agent Caroline Watt not testifying at the trial was “like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark”.
David Sherborne, the barrister for Rooney, points out that neither Vardy's agent nor her husband Jamie were called as witnesses. As a result they were not cross-examined under oath during the trial.
“We have Hamlet not just without the prince – but also the entire royal court.”
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) May 19, 2022
Watt had not been well enough to testify, but Sherborne argued that she had a “hand-in-glove” relationship with Rebekah.
Sherborne also accused the pair of “deliberately” destroying evidence. The trial saw no evidence from Watt after she dropped her phone in the North Sea days after being ordered to hand it over.
Vardy’s barrister Hugh Tomlinson said it is “highly implausible” the pair destroyed evidence and that they would have to be “very clever or very cynical” to get rid of crucial messages ahead of the trial.
Vardy's QC says Rooney's case appears to be "look at the terrible things [Vardy's] done – it’s likely she’s done this as well".
He says it is a "conspiracy theory" to suggest Vardy deleted WhatsApps. His client "is plainly not a technical expert” and would struggle to do so.
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) May 19, 2022
In his own closing statement, Tomlinson said his client had “consistently denied being the source, directly or indirectly.”
He said the case had been about the public way in which Rooney accused Vardy of the leaks and the online abuse Vardy received as a result of this.
He added: “She doesn’t know to this day what happened. She doesn’t know where this information came from.”
Th judges will deliver their verdict on the case at a later date.
Related links:
- Rebekah Vardy claims ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial cost her lucrative career deals
- Coleen and Wayne Rooney skip last day of trial as Vardy arrives alone
- Wayne Rooney describes ‘awkward’ moment he asked Jamie Vardy to get his wife to ‘calm down’
