Vicky Pryce gave Chris Huhne a black eye after she found out about his affair, court hears

Chris Huhne was punched by Vicky Price after she found out about his affair with an aide (AFP/Getty Images)

Chris Huhne, the disgraced former cabinet minister, was punched and dragged through a window by his wife when she discovered his affair with an aide, a jury was told yesterday.

Mr Huhne, who was Energy Secretary at the time, was given two black eyes which he had to cover up because of his many television appearances, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Barrister Constance Briscoe detailed the aftermath of the former Liberal Democrat minister’s affair at a trial where she is accused of lying to police investigating Mr Huhne’s role in passing speeding points to his wife to avoid a driving ban.

The speeding scam only came to light in newspapers after Mr Huhne’s acrimonious break-up with his then-wife, the economist Vicky Pryce, in 2010. Ms Pryce attacked Mr Huhne when he visited the family home after the affair with his aide, Carina Trimingham, had become known, Ms Briscoe told the court.

Ms Briscoe said that she advised Ms Pryce to go to the press because it would be “good therapy” after the break-up.

Ms Pryce asked her to contact a journalist at the Telegraph, she said. “She thought that Chris had bugged the house and had hacked into her emails,” she added.

Ms Briscoe, 56, from Clapham, London, denies three counts of perverting the course of justice. The case continues.