Colin Craig’s attack plan revealed

Colin Craig told his lawyer he planned to expose Rachel MacGregor’s ‘‘performance failures’’ during a media storm in which he and his former press secretary would ‘‘both end up bloodied’’.

An email Craig wrote to his lawyer John McKay detailing the plan was read out in the Auckland High Court on Friday as the former Conservative Party leader and Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater sue each other for defamation in a trial that is proving to be full of high drama and bizarre insights.

The correspondence took place in June 2015, before a sexual harassment complaint MacGregor took against Craig was settled in mediation. It describes Craig’s strategy to counter the claim in the media.

‘‘If Rachel’s claim is released to media the damage publically [sic] would be significant,’’ Craig, who denied any sexual harassment, wrote to McKay.

‘‘I have previously been positive about Rachel in the media but if this goes public the advice I have is to issue a statement advising of her performance failures, [suppressed] and pointing out big flaws in her claim.’’

‘‘The angle is ‘blackmail attempt fails’ - once you work it through it is a good angle,’’ Craig continued.

‘‘It will be a media storm of course and we both end up bloodied. In reality though I have nothing left to lose if her claim is printed already - I at least get to balance the story which I have to do for the sake of my family, friends and many thousands of supporters.’’

Craig finished cross examining MacGregor in court on Friday, after she was called by Slater’s lawyer to give evidence under subpoena.

It marked the end of an emotional chapter of the trial, which saw MacGregor break down and accuse Craig of doctoring text messages sent between the pair.

The judge-alone trial was originally set down for three weeks, but is expected to go longer.