DISGRACED former MP Chris Huhne is expected to deny pressuring his former wife Vicky Pryce to have an abortion as he faces being jailed today, friends have claimed.
The former Energy Secretary will appear with Pryce at London's Southwark Crown Court for sentencing after their convictions for perverting the course of justice over a speeding fine.
He pleaded guilty to allowing her to take his speeding points in a case dating back more than a decade.
Pryce, who faces the prospect of a longer sentence, was convicted by a jury that rejected her claims he was a domineering husband who coerced her into accepting the points. It was alleged by her defence that Huhne made her have an abortion as their marriage unravelled.
The offence came to light after their bitter marriage break-up, when Huhne left her for his press aide.
According to reports, a friend said: "He will refute the abortion claim. He wants to use the mitigation to address the accusation made against him during the trial."
Huhne, who resigned as MP for Eastleigh after his conviction, may receive a sentence of at least six months.
Pryce may receive a longer term than Huhne, who pleaded guilty.
Margaret Cook, the former wife of the late former Labour cabinet minister Robin Cook, who left her for another woman he later married, said: "Pryce has every right to talk frankly about the things that happened in her marriage, perhaps even a duty to do so, in order that we can see how ambitious political figures behave."
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