Some great top lines from the opening day of Vicky Pryce’s trial, not least her description of her husband’s former bisexual lover as “that man of yours”. The jury of eight women and four men today heard the not so jaw-dropping admission that Vicky’s main motivation was revenge. Guido’s favourite Greek economist told Isabel Oakeshott: “I have no doubt that I definitely want to nail him, more than ever actually”.

The court heard how Pryce tried to trick Huhne into confessing all during a taped phone call, but he saw through it and told her: “This is absolute cobblers…you are the only person batty enough to go to the press with this”. As Pryce became more exasperated she told him: “there are people outside my door and it’s all to do with your f***ing points and your f***ing man and it’s nothing to do with me”. The fourth recorded phone call in which Huhne tells Pryce there is “no upside” to talking to the papers is one to note. The trial continues…

The court restrictions have been lifted. Rejecting Huhne’s application to have the case thrown out last week, Mr Justice Sweeney said the jury would “be free to draw adverse inference” from these texts between Chris Huhne and his son, Peter:

CH: Peter, just to say, I’m thinking of you and I love you very much. It would be great to talk to you, Dad.

PH: **** off

PH: So nice to see our entire relationship reduced to lies and pleasantries in that letter. Do you take me for an idiot? The fact you said your parents were happier as a result of their divorce was disgusting… when you were having affairs makes me sick. You are the most ghastly man I have ever known. Does it give you pleasure that you have lost most of your friends?

CH: I understand that I have really offended you but I hope that the passage of time will provide some perspective… I love you and I will be there to support you if you ever need it.

PH: You are right – the perspective involves me getting angrier with every day that goes by. You just don’t get it.

PH: We all know that you were driving and you put pressure on Mum. Accept it or face the consequences. You’ve told me that was the case. Or will this be another lie?

CH: I have no intention of sending Mum to Holloway Prison for three months. Dad

PH: Are you going to accept your responsibility or do I have to contact the police and tell them what you told me?

PH: I don’t want to speak to you, you disgust me, f**k off.

PH: You just don’t get it.

CH: Happy Christmas. I love you

PH: I hate you so f**k off.

CH: Well I’m proud and I love you, Dad.

PH: Leave me alone, you have no place in my life and no right to be proud. It’s irritating that you don’t seem to take the point. You are such an autistic piece of ****. Don’t contact me again you make me feel sick.

You don’t have to be a genius to work out how that would have gone down with a jury…

Shamed expenses cheat Denis MacShane will not be prosecuted…for swearing down a megaphone during a demonstration last year. The former Rotherham MP was reported to the police after launching a four-letter tirade in front of a crowd in October, but no further action is to be taken due to lack of evidence.

He might not be so lucky the next time the cops come calling…

£53,000 expenses cheat Margaret Moran’s lawyer has delivered a withering rant about how terribly out of order the press are for reporting her crimes:

“The more vengeful press, who hound her at her front door, seem to think that the only way someone can be demonstrably mentally ill is if they are in a straitjacket in a padded cell. The reports back in April all agree that she suffers from this mental illness. Hounding a mentally ill woman is a dangerous and vile thing to do, at any time, particularly post the Leveson conclusions. It could have led to an increased risk of suicide. There will always be sections of the media who believe it’s a huge con. But they’ve not read all the evidence.”

At least Craig Oliver did it subtly…

Via @SophyRidgeSky

Expenses cheat Margaret Moran was “too depressed” to attend court to hear her sentence this morning, but she faces a two-year supervision and treatment order as ‘punishment’ for her £53,000 swindle. This expenses piggie was found to have committed 15 counts of false accounting. The judge says some will say “she got away with it”. Moran isn’t the first expenses cheat to dodge jail, and she won’t be the last…

Liz wasn’t impressed:

You won’t like her when she’s angry. Or hungry…

Via @EyeSpyMP

Hardly a surprise but good news nonetheless that a jury has found former Labour MP Margaret Moran fiddled her expenses to the tune of £53,000. She committed 15 counts of false accounting and six counts of using a false instrument, though the jury were instructed they could not find her guilty due to her mental health. She will be sentenced at a later date…

Margaret Moran’s expenses trial got under way this morning, even if the former Labour MP’s mental health means she will not appear in the dock herself.

Moran is alleged to have claimed some £53,000 in false expenses. Here are the nine counts that were read out in court earlier today:

• Count 1: Claiming £575.78 for a washing machine, fridge and kettle for her 2nd home in London, though they were really for her main home in Luton.
• Count 2: Claiming £181.37 for a locksmith at her office. The work was done at her main home in Luton.
• Count 3: Claiming £87.09 for gas fire repair at second home. The work was done at her main home.
• Count 4: Claiming £527.20 for a bed and £2678.76 for carpets for her 2nd home. They were really for her main home.
• Count 5: Claiming £979.84 for an estimate for kitchen work. The work was never done.
• Counts 6 & 7: Using a bogus invoice and claiming £4756.40 for kitchen units that were never installed.
• Counts 8 & 9: Ten claims for utility bills totalling £2424 when the true cost was £286.35.

The trial continues…

Sometimes Guido likes to do his bit as a public service by bringing matters of interest to the attention of the relevant authorities. Yesterday Labour councillor Chris Vobe was suspended after a police investigation was launched into the alleged hacking of his colleagues’ email accounts. Vobe is the son of Labour MP Helen Jones, he’s very much a mummy’s boy. Of course hacking crusader Tom Watson will want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible…

Seems Billy spotted this one too.

Former Times hack Patrick Foster has we understand been nicked this morning by Operation Tuleta cops investigating the outing the previously anonymous Nightjack blogger in 2009. Earlier this year it was revealed that Foster had discovered the identity of the blogger through computer hacking. The media editor at The Times at the time was the Guardian’s current head of media, Dan Sabbagh.

Even after the Nightjack scandal broke Sabbagh continued to commission him with work for the Media Guardian  pages and judging by his tweet appears to still be in the loop with Foster:

…police came to his home this morning (unexpectedly) I understand…—
Dan Sabbagh (@dansabbagh) August 29, 2012

What did Sabbagh know and when?

UPDATE:

- @MediaGuido @guidofawkes My knowledge of arrests consists of my tweets. Knew about it about 3 mins before tweeting. More on MG shortly.—
Dan Sabbagh (@dansabbagh) August 29, 2012