Thread by @samcoopernews

Arrived in London for the #Twitterblades High Court case. Almost been run over by three taxis and just passed a sign outside a café advertising strawberries and granola so guessing I’m in London anyway. Updates to follow.

Counsel for both parties are beginning to arrive. Case due to get underway at around 10.30am. Jeremy Tutton has already taken up his seat in the witness box. #twitterblades

We're underway. A few housekeeping matters first. Mr Tutton expected to be cross-examined and re-examined today then Scott McCabe will give evidence tomorrow morning. Simon McCabe and Andy Birks will give evidence on Wednesday.

Andreas Gledhill QC, for Prince Abdullah, is now cross-examining Jeremy Tutton. Mr Gledhill claims that Kevin McCabe was angered that former SUFC director Dave Green went to visit Prince Abdullah without telling him.

Mr Tutton said: "As Kevin said he had no problem with Dave going down to see Prince Abdullah but he would like have known beforehand."

Mr Gledhill QC said Mr Green was only a director of SUFC for a 'matter of months'

Mr Tutton was appointed to the board of SUFC in August 2017. Mr Gledhill QC now asking Mr Tutton about Stephen Bettis. He has read a memo sent out before a board meeting in October 2017 where Kevin McCabe asked Mr Bettis to write to the Prince to state he would resign as CEO

Mr Bettis didn't do that. Mr Gledhill QC asked Mr Tutton what Mr McCabe's reaction was - he said he didn't know because he didn't 'really think anybody was following it up.'

Mr Tutton says that UTB were putting a lot of costs onto the club. He said: "I was thinking why are we getting all these bloody costs it? It just doesn't make sense and this was another issue that annoyed me. It was not nice trying to finance the football club."

Mr Gledhill QC is now running Mr Tutton through memos and minutes in relation to the board meeting on October 26, 2017 when Mr Bettis was asked to resign as CEO, given his move to LA. Mr Tutton said he planned to ask Mr Bettis at the meeting.

Mr Tutton said: "I wanted to get that recorded in the minutes that was a deliberate ploy by me." He then said he wasn't sure if 'ploy' was the right word.

Mr Gledhill is now running through a transcript of the board minute and comparing them to a transcript of the meeting. Mr Gledhill puts it to Mr Tutton that he produced a 'skewed' minute of the meeting to suit Mr McCabe's plan to get Mr Bettis off the payroll.

Mr Tutton responds by saying that Mr Bettis 'didn't give a toss' about Kevin McCabe or Prince Abdullah and was 'self preserving'

Mr Tutton has just, without being asked, given quite an emotional statement. He said: "I don't want to deal with Sheffield United business very much at all to be honest with you. I am very surprised I am a director of Sheffield United."

Speaking about not informing UTB that Mr Bettis was being taken off the payroll, he added: "It's quite clear with the way things were going with Kevin and UTB if I wrote to UTB offering them something nice they would probably have complained."

He added: "I didn't want to get into emails with UTB to be honest with you, I just wanted to get the job done."

Mr Gledhill again puts it to Mr Tutton that he lied about Mr Bettis wanting to step down when he asked for his pay to be stopped.

Mr Tutton said Kevin McCabe 'put him in quite a position with all the musical chairs on the board' at the time.

Mr Tutton again tells the hearing: "I didn't want any of this."

And breathe ... Time for a five-minute break. A relentless start to the day's hearing with Mr Gledhill QC accusing Mr Tutton of 'skewing' minutes of a board meeting and 'lying' about Stephen Bettis resigning as CEO. Much more to come.

We're back and we're now discussing the appointment of Simon Radcliffe as chief finance officer.

In his witness statement, Mr Tutton said Kevin McCabe asked for Mr Radcliffe's reporting line to be to the board of SUFC, not UTB.

When asked about the reporting line of Mr Radcliffe, Mr Tutton says: "My memory is so weak on this simply because I was not interested." He says Mr Gledhill QC is trying to make out that he is making it up as he goes along.

The hearing has now been shown an offer of employment letter sent to Simon Radcliffe which stated he would be responsible to the chief executive officer and Sheffield United Football Club.

Mr Tutton once again states he 'didn't care' about this particular issue. Mr Gledhill QC put it to him that he was again lying. Mr Tutton replied: "Fill your boots, do whatever you have got to do."

Mr Tutton tells the hearing: "I deeply regret Kevin changing all the boards and it almost put too much responsibility onto me - unfair responsibility."

In an email regarding Mr Radcliffe's offer letter, Catherine Frost, head of HR at SUFC, said: "With the utmost respect to all concerned, I am unable to resolve the differing requirements of board members and owners. I serve the club rather than specific individuals."

Mr Tutton tells the hearing he was aware Prince Abdullah and his colleagues were Muslim. Speaking about the links football has to betting and alcohol, he said: "If they [UTB] have quite strong religious grounds why the hell are they getting involved in football in the UK."

He goes on to say: "I am indifferent to religion, I am sorry if that makes me a bad person."

Speaking about an email exchange between Mr McCabe and Prince Abdullah, which he was copied into, Mr Tutton said: "I don't know how any of this is going to pan out at all. I just know that I am in a position where UTB do not have enough money to fund this club."

Mr Gledhill QC puts it to Mr Tutton that Kevin McCabe is a 'bully'. Mr Tutton responds by saying: "If I thought he was a bully I would not have worked for him."

And with that we break for lunch. Back in at 2pm #twitterblades

Back in court ready for the afternoon session. Mr Tutton is once again already in the witness box. Expect more cross-examination from Mr Gledhill. A round-up from this morning should be going online asap #twitterblades

Court being shown Mr Tutton's witness statement. Referring to the October 2017 board meeting, Mr Tutton said manager Chris Wilder attended and his body language suggested he was 'totally underwhelmed' by the funds which would be made available to him for the Jan transfer window

Mr Gledhill says that Kevin McCabe had instructed Mr Tutton, on behalf of SUL, not to make any funds available at all.

Mr Tutton: "Prince Abdullah is royalty and Chris Wilder would probably expect more from him than Scarborough - Kevin. The club was near the top at that point and there was great momentum. If ever there was a time to spend a lot of money on the club that would have been it."

Mr Gledhill claims SUL declined to make any further funds available and the reason was that they wanted to create a 'deadlock' with UTB.

Court shown an email from Mr Tutton sent to Kevin McCabe, in which he said that if SUL did not make funds available neither would UTB - creating the 'impasse McCabe wanted'.

Prince Abdullah has just arrived at court #twitterblades

The court has been shown a document, which shows how much both SUL and UTB put into the club during the 2016/17 season. Both put in £1 million - SUL in one oayment, UTB in installments of £200k and 2x£400k. SUL then put in £1m on November 29, 2016.

Payment*

Brief pause after the judge's computer has crashed #twitterblades

IT are here #twitterblades

That seems to have fixed it and we're back underway #twitterblades

Court hears that SUL signed a deal with a group called ALK on April 1, 2019. One set is circumstances if they were in the Championship and a different deal if they were in the Premier League. The deal is dependent on SUL getting 100 per cent ownership of the club #twitterblades

Court now being shown an email from Mr Tutton to Mr McCabe in November 2017 with the subject line: "SUFC - Texas shoot out"

Very little more said about the AKL deal other than that is dependent on SUL having 100 per cent ownership of the club - I.e. 'winning' this court case #twitterblades

ALK deal****

Court now being shown emails between Kevin McCabe and Alan Pace of ALK from December 2017 #twitterblades

They show that SUL borrowed £10m to exercise a 'call notice' on UTB. They served the notice in December 2017 but at £5million #twitterblades

Mr Tutton said: "I think Kevin has been pretty clear - he wants to hand over the baton to somebody else." #twitterblades

Mr Tutton says Prince Abdullah was aware talks had been held with ALK #twitterblades

Mr Gledhill has now finished his cross-examination of Mr Tutton. He will now be questioned by Paul Downes QC, on behalf of Mr McCabe #twitterblades

Mr Downes again refers to the email in which Mr Tutton said he would hate the headline on The Star to be: "Blades launder money for extremists". Mr Downes asked why the first two letters (BL) were capped up abs Mr Tutton said it happens all the time going from upper to lower case

The hearing has previously heard claims that the email referred to a £3 million loan from the Bin Laden family #twitterblades

Mr Tutton has apologised to the judge. He said: "I am sorry, I am so tired." #twitterblades

Mr Downed is now asking Mr Tutton what happened to Mr Bettis after November 2017 #twitterblades

Downes***

Mr Downes is now running Mr Tutton through a transcript of the board meeting on October 2017 where Stephen Bettis was speaking about whether he was going to resign #twitterblades

After reading the transcript of the meeting, Mr Tutton said Mr Bettis went back on everything he told the board when he was appointed. He said: "He is just self-serving all the way through this [the board meeting]. He is just trying to divide the board." #twitterblades

Mr Tutton again says he's tired. He said: "My brain is fried." Judge advises him not to guess and to say he doesn't know.

Mr Tutton has now finished his evidence and that's us finished for the day. Full story to come on thestar.co.uk and in tomorrow's @SheffieldStar. Thanks for following. Any questions I'll do my best to answer them on the train home (battery permitting) #twitterblades