'I'm not lover of officer in Soham case'

A CPS worker accused of lying for a Soham detective insisted she was not his "secret lover", the Old Bailey heard today.

Louise Austin, 32, allegedly helped Dc Brian Stevens, 43, concoct a fake alibi to cover his tracks after he was arrested on suspicion of downloading indecent images on his laptop.

They claimed he stayed at her home in Cambridgeshire when he was in fact at a police convalescence centre in Oxfordshire.

Alistair Carnegie, Stevens's former solicitor, today told how he had helped take Austin's statement. He was later present when she was questioned by detectives. Officers kept asking her whether their relationship was more than "platonic", the court was told.

Christopher Sallon, QC, defending, asked: "Was there a belief that they did not believe she did not have a sexual relationship with Brian?" "Yes," replied Mr Carnegie.

Mr Carnegie also denied he had leaked reports to the press the pair were lovers.

Stevens now admits he had his laptop with him at Flint House in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, on 8 and 9 June, 2002.

No evidence was offered against him on charges of downloading "questionable images" at Snaresbrook Crown Court last August.

Stevens and Austin both deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The trial continues.