Thread by @BBCHelenaLee

At the Old Bailey for the trial of Labour MP for Peterborough Fiona Onasanya who is facing one charge of perverting the course of justice.

Miss Onasanya is alleged to have lied about who was behind the wheel of a car which was caught speeding in July last year.

Prosecution’s case is that Fiona Onasanya plotted with her brother to claim a Russian man was behind the wheel of her car when it was caught doing 41mph in a 30mph zone in Cambridgeshire.

Jury was told by the prosecution that the Russian man was with his parents in Russia at the time.

Miss Onasanya denies the charge.

Her brother pleaded guilty to the same charge and two similar offences last Monday.

Witness called into court by the prosecution: Dr. Christian DeFeo

Tells court he is an online community specialist.

Dr. Defeo confirms he knows Miss Onasanya.

He says he met her more often when she became a candidate in 2017.

He tells the jury he worked on her behalf when he took on the role as head of communications for the Peterborough Labour party.

Dr. DeFeo says his role involved writing press releases on her behalf and she went to his house a number of times.

Witness asked how it’s come about that he is in court today.

The witness says on Tuesday this week his wife spotted an article online about the case and she noticed the road where the car was caught speeding was outside their house.

Witness says he and his wife had a conversation and concluded they had no choice but to tell the police what they knew.

Witness tells jury he had hopes invested in the MP and in his darkest dreams he would never have imagined he would be here (in court) today.

Prosecution asks the witness what is it that he had to say to the court.

Witness tells jury on the night the car (which Miss Osanaya is alleged to have been driving) was caught speeding Miss Osanaya had been at their house for a discussion about a lease for a charity.

Witness says she turned up alone in her Nissan Micra.

He says Miss Onasanya arrived late and left late. The meeting lasted no less than two hours.

Witness: they discussed the lease. He says Miss Onasanya is also a property lawyer which is why she was contributing to the discussions.

Asked if he saw which direction the defendant left his house that night - he said he didn’t see.

Witness says Miss Onasanya had been to his and his wife’s house in a village in Cambridgeshire three or four times before.

He says he held a victory party for Miss Onasanya after the 2017 election at his house.

Miss Onasanya is in court in the dock listening to the evidence.

Witness is asked how he is sure Miss Onasanya came to his house on the 24th July in 2017 (date of speeding offence which took place on a road outside of the witnesses house).

He says notes of the meeting were taken and the following day a further meeting was taken place with others about the lease for the charity.

Defence barrister now cross examining the witness.

Witness is being asked again how it’s come about that he has ended up here in court today.

He confirms his wife read an article about the trial this week.

He says she then rang the police and he gave a statement to officers on Tuesday.

Defence barrister: there was at one point a falling out between your wife and Miss Onasanya...

Witness: you’ll have to talk to my wife about that.

Witness being asked about when his wife saw the article this week about this trial.

He says he was at home and his wife was at work.

He says his wife messaged him about it and said ‘take a look at this’.

Witness says his wife wondered if the date of the speeding offence she read about in the article online to do with this trial was the same date as the meeting they’d had with Miss Onasanya at their home.

Witness tells jury he then looked through his emails and confirmed it was the same date - 24th July 2017.

Reminder: At 10.03pm on July 24 last year Miss Onasanya’s Nissan Micra was allegedly caught by a speed camera on The Causeway near the village of Thorney, in Cambridgeshire.

Defence barrister suggests to witness he may have mixed up the date of the meeting he had with Miss Onasanya with another visit.

“I doubt it” he replies.

Defence barrister finishes questioning witness.

Prosecution barrister asking further questions.

Pros barrister: do you have any ill-feeling towards Miss Onasanya?

Witness: No I do not.

Pros barrister: Do you have it in for her (Miss Onasanya) as a result of a falling out between her and your wife?

Witness: From day 1 I wanted her to succeed to be a great MP ... it’s a terrible thing to have to do this.

Witness completes his evidence.

Court rises for a short break.

Witness brought back into court for more questions from defence barrister.

The MP’s former aide is asked about email exchanges between himself and his wife when his wife read about the trial earlier this week.

Witness is asked if he was aware of the date of 24th July 2017 (alleged speeding offence Miss Osanaya is accused of) before this week.

He said he was aware of allegation Miss Osanaya was facing but hadn’t paid attention to detail.

Witness finishes evidence.

Told not to discuss case with anyone while trial is continuing.

Next witness.

Caroline Earle.

Confirms to court she is the wife of the previous witness (Dr. DeFeo)

Her voice breaks as she is sworn in.

Apologises saying she is very nervous.

Caroline Earle confirms she knows Miss Onasanya.

She tells jury she knew Miss Onasanya’s trial had started, looked on twitter earlier this week and read an article about the case.

Caroline Earle then tells jury she noticed the location of the speed camera in the case was on the same road that their former house was on.

Court breaks for lunch.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard tells jury that they mustn’t do any research of their own (about he case).

“No googling, no twittering” he tells them.

Back at 14.05.

Fiona Onasanya, the Labour MP for Peterborough, denies one charge of perverting the course of justice.

Jury back into court.

Caroline Earle is back in the witness box.

She is telling the jury about the meeting on the 24th July 2017 at her and her husbands house.

That’s the date the alleged speeding offence took place.

Caroline Earle says the Labour MP for Peterborough Fiona Onasanya came to their house.

She says she remembers feeling touched that she came so late after having such a busy day.

Witness now being cross examined by defence barrister.

Witness tells jury the MP would often get lost when she went to their house.

She says Miss Onasanya would often ring from a nearby location and have to be guided to their house over the phone.

Defence barrister suggests to witness she got the time of when the MP visited them wrong and that it may have been earlier in the day.

Witness says it’s unlikely (she got it wrong)

Witness being asked about what made her came forward (to police).

She said she came forward after reading a tweet earlier this week from a newspaper account with an article about the trial.

Witness tells court:

It’s knocked me for six ... I would rather be anywhere else rather than here

Defence barrister asks witness if she is well enough to continue with her evidence.

Witness says she feels lightheaded and doesn’t feel well but wants to continue with her evidence.

Judge says she must tell them if she isn’t well enough.

Witness says she wants to carry on.

Witness is asked by defence barrister if she is aware that live tweeting has been going on from the court case.

Witness says she is and she is aware it has been since the start of the trial.

Witness is asked by defence barrister whether she read about what’s happened in the case this morning on twitter over the lunch break today.

Witness says she read about the questions the defence barrister asked her husband and one of the answers.

Prosecution barrister now asking further questions.

Pros barrister: Do you have anything against Fiona Onasanya?

Witness: No

Pros: Do you have any reason to make things worse for her?

Witness: No ... I feel so sad.

Witness finishes evidence.

Next witness called by the prosecution:

Robert Grayston - former senior parliamentary assistant to Miss Onasanya.

Tells jury he was in France when the alleged speeding incident is said to have taken place in July 2017.

Questions from defence barrister now.

Witness confirms he started working for Fiona Onasanya in early July 2017.

Witness says due to the huge volume of emails to Miss Onasanya during that period after election sometimes important ones were missed.

Witness tells court there was a backlog of 5000 emails to her at one stage.

Witness says he left his role in January this year.

No further questions from defence.

Witness leaves courtroom.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…

Jury sent home.

Judge told them to return to court on Monday at 10am.