UK’S ‘Wagatha Christie’ soccer wives libel trial kicks off

LONDON: A libel trial piting the wives of two former England soccer strikers Wayne Rooney and Jamie Vardy kicked off on Tuesday, a batle mixing glamour, amateur sleuthing and a sting operation which has gripped the media and public.

The case involves Coleen Rooney, 36, the wife of former England ace Wayne who holds the record for the most international goals for his country, and Rebekah Vardy, whose husband Jamie has also played and scored for the national side

Vardy, 40, is suing her former friend for libel ater Rooney accused her of leaking stories about her ater staging an elaborate sting operation to find out who was passing on details of her private life to the Sun tabloid.

The batle has been dubbed the “Wagatha Christie” case, a reference to the “WAG” moniker given to the glamorous group of footballers’ wives and girlfriends and Rooney’s detective work.

Hugh Tomlinson, Vardy’s lawyer, told London’s High Court that the case was “far from entertaining” and said his client who had received threats online and been jeered at matches.

“She needs to be able to clear her name,” he told the wood-panelled court where the two women sat just feet apart, with Rooney siting next to her husband.

The intrigue began almost three years ago when Rooney became suspicious about stories appearing in the Sun involving information about her from her personal Instagram account. She turned detective to try to find out who the culprit was.

She said she blocked everyone from viewing her account except one person and then posted a series of false stories to see whether they leaked out, which she said they had.

She wrote on her social media accounts that only one person had viewed the false stories, concluding with the revelation: “It’s ... Rebekah Vardy’s account.”

Tomlinson said the post - constructed like a “mini-whodunnit” - had been liked by 193,000 people on Instagram and 300,000 on Twiter.