Redknapp denies lying but tells jury he ‘misled’ reporter

The Spurs’ manager shouted from the witness box at prosecutor John Black QC: “You think I put my hand on the Bible and told lies? That’s an insult, Mr Black, that’s an insult.”

Redknapp shook his head as Mr Black ended his cross-examination at Southwark Crown Court by saying: “I suggest you have been telling the court a pack of lies.”

With a voice trembling with emotion, Redknapp replied: “Everything I have told you is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

Both Redknapp, 64, and Sheffield Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric, 73, deny two counts of cheating the public revenue through “bungs” worth £189,000 in a Monaco bank account.

The charges relate to when Redknapp and Mandaric were manager and chairman of Portsmouth.

Earlier, Redknapp said he misled News of the World reporter Rob Beasley because he wanted to prevent a story appearing as Spurs were due to play in the 2009 League Cup final.

Redknapp said: “I don’t have to tell Mr Beasley the truth. I have to tell police the truth, not Mr Beasley, he’s a News of the World reporter.”

When asked why he referred to payments as bonuses he was due for the sale of striker Peter Crouch, Redknapp said: “I wanted to make the point to Mr Beasley that it was paid by my chairman.”

He added “I referred to it to him many times as my Crouch bonus” as “Crouch is an easy answer”.

Redknapp added: “I just want to get Mr Beasley out the way – I just didn’t want a story in the paper... I was going to come down to breakfast and all my players were going to be looking at the back page of the News of the World. It was going to be embarrassing.”

The trial has previously heard evidence from both accused that the payments were linked to investments made by Mandaric.

Yesterday, Redknapp said: “In my mind it was always related to Crouch even though it wasn’t connected. I felt morally I was due that money even though legally I wasn’t.”

Redknapp insisted “it wasn’t a loan” but he planned to repay Mandaric the money sent to his Monaco account.

His accountant had told Redknapp “Christmas has arrived” when finding out how much was in it, jurors heard.

Redknapp said: “It will be paid back, not while this case is going on, it doesn’t look right.

“I will pay Mandaric back once this case has finished, that’s for sure.”

Mandaric was said to have told Redknapp his investments were a disaster.

Redknapp said “if it had been my money, I might have cried but it wasn’t my money”.

The trial continues.