Solicitor cleared of perverting course of justice

5:12pm Tuesday 3rd July 2007

A solicitor spoke of his relief after a jury cleared him of being part of a bribery deal to get a criminal case dropped.

Mark Rogers, 39, a well-known defence lawyer in Sussex, was found not guilty at Lewes Crown Court of perverting the course of justice.

Friends, family and colleagues crowded into the public gallery reacted with tears and cries of delight as the jury returned its verdict after a ten-day trial.

After he left the court Mr Rogers, who closed his own business following his arrest on the allegations last year, struggled to maintain his composure as he said: "I am relieved it is all over.

"I am thankful for the support of all my professional colleagues at the court and at the police station."

During the trial Mr Rogers, who ran his own firm from Portland Road, Worthing, told how he feared his professional life had been ruined by the false allegations.

The former Brighton schoolboy had worked at legal firms in Brighton and Worthing before starting his own successful business.

He was accused of acting as a middleman in an attempt to bribe Derek Cook into dropping his evidence in a case against Darrell Gibson.

The court heard there was a feud between Mr Cook and Mr Gibson and Mr Rogers had acted for both men.

Mr Cook claimed two associates of Mr Gibson had called at his home in Worthing to offer him £200 to pay for a television damaged by Mr Gibson when he allegedly smashed up Mr Cook's home and assaulted his partner. The deal offered meant if Mr Cook accepted the cash he would drop the court case.

Mr Cook told the jury he contacted Mr Rogers to find out if the deal was genuine and at a meeting at Worthing Magistrates Court in March last year he secretly taped Mr Rogers allegedly offering to act as a middleman.

Mr Rogers was recorded saying: "Yeah. It's okay. It'll be fine. I'm telling you now, you won't have any comeback."

He added: "This is off the record. If you tape me up, I'll kill you."

The prosecution alleged Mr Rogers' actions stretched beyond the boundaries of a solicitor advising a client.

But Mr Rogers told the jury he was just giving "friendly advice" to Mr Cook. He said he had not wanted to get involved in the problems between Mr Cook and Mr Gibson and had just tried to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

He maintained he had no intention of perverting the course of justice and stood to make no financial gain if the case was dropped.

Mr Rogers, who qualified as a solicitor in 1994, said he would have too much to lose by getting involved in any deal.

He said: "I would have so much to lose. I would never do that."

He said he never had any intention of harming anyone when he used the expression "I'll kill you" recorded on the tape. He said: "It was just a figure of speech."

He said: "When I was played this tape at the police station I knew my career was gone."

Mr Rogers said he had never met his co-defendants Jason Newsom, 32, of Shadwell Road, Lancing, and a 23-year-old man from Worthing, who cannot be named for legal reasons. They both also denied perverting the course of justice and were cleared by the jury.

Editor's Choice