The former Energy Secretary and current Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh, Chris Huhne and his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce, have been charged with perverting the course of justice. He has resigned from his former cabinet position as a result.

It is alleged that in 2003 Mr Huhne committed a speeding offence and that he informed the police that Ms Pryce was driving the car at the time. Ms Pryce subsequently submitted her driving licence for endorsement of penalty points.

Mr Huhne has stated that he is innocent of the offence.

In order for the Crown Prosecution to prove that he is Guilty, they will have to prove to the Court, beyond reasonable doubt, that he intended to pervert the course of justice when providing the above information to the police. Although he has not provided specific comments, Mr Huhne’s defence will be one of two and will, as always, depend on the evidence.

He could claim that it was in fact Ms Pryce who was driving the car and therefore he did not provide false information to the police at all. However, given that he has been charged it is likely that the police have solid evidence that it was he who was driving the car. The more likely defence is that he genuinely believed, at the time, that Ms Pryce was driving the car on the day in question. His success will simply and completely depend on whether or not the Court believe him. This will be helped through a thorough examination of the evidence and case preparation by his lawyers.

Perverting the course of justice is a common law offence; meaning that it has been established by decisions of the Courts rather than set down in statute. It is indictable only; meaning that it must be tried in the Crown Court. If found Guilty of the offence the Crown Court could fine or imprison Mr Huhne or Ms Pryce.

Our client was charged with driving a motor vehicle without insurance. Our client informed us that he was driving the vehicle for his former employer which provided him with a defence.

Unfortunately, the police documentation was not helpful as it did not provide comments on whether our client was driving the vehicle for his employer nor would his former employer provide evidence to support him.

We therefore adopted a robust approach and pressed for the police to clarify their evidence and witness summoned the owner of our client’s former employer.

As a result of this thorough preparation the Magistrates had no option but to find our client Not Guilty.

Proposals to modernise the Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) were announced today by the Driving Standards Agency.

These aim to improve both the standard of courses offered to drink-driving offenders and the way they are approved. The proposals are also intended to encourage more training providers to become involved in delivering DDRS courses, improving access to the scheme for offenders in areas with high incidences of drink-driving.

The Government also intends to make the financing of the scheme fairer. Rather than the cost of administering the scheme being met by the general taxpayer, the consultation proposes that offenders should pick up the bill for this through the fees they pay to cover the cost of their training.

The overall aim is to reduce the number of re-offenders by educating them on the potential consequences of their behaviour.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:

"Most drivers are safe and responsible but there is a reckless minority who put lives in danger by drink driving and those drivers need to be tackled effectively.

"As well as taking action to help the police to deal with drink-drivers, we are looking at how we can reduce the likelihood of re-offending through improving the Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Scheme.

"Improving the way courses are delivered is a positive step towards achieving this and will help to ensure Britain's roads remain among the safest in the world."