London - Retired television producer, Mr Ted Francis, told the Old Bailey yesterday that he agreed to give Lord Archer an alibi to prevent his marriage breaking up.
Mr Francis said: "I was a bit concerned about it, but if it was in the cause of preventing his marriage breaking up, I thought no harm would be done." Lord Archer and Mr Francis face charges of perverting the course of justice over the alibi which the prosecution alleges was meant for use in connection with a 1987 libel hearing. Lord Archer was awarded £500,000 damages over a newspaper allegation that he had slept with a prostitute in 1986. The men were charged after the News of the World disclosed in 1999 that Mr Francis was asked before the libel trial to provide Lord Archer with a false alibi. Lord Archer denies three counts of perverting the course of justice, two counts of perjury and one of using a diary as a false instrument. Mr Francis denies perverting the course of justice.
Asked why he had decided to go public in 1999, Mr Francis said: "Lord Archer had been selected as a candidate for Mayor of London and I thought he was an inappropriate choice to be mayor." The hearing was adjourned until today.