Church's spokesman 'was wicked'

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A woman who had an affair with the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales's ex-spokesman has told a jury his behaviour was "wicked".

The divorcee, identified only as Madame X, accused spokesman Austen Ivereigh of distancing himself from her after she became pregnant with his twin children.

Mr Ivereigh is suing the Daily Mail at the High Court over an article in June 2006 labelling him a cad and hypocrite.

Associated Newspapers, the Mail's publishers, denies libel.

Mr Ivereigh, 41, claims he was forced to resign as head of public affairs for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor because of the newspaper article.

They were wicked and insensitive and showed no respect for me, my children or the children that I carried Madame XAusten Ivereigh's former lover

Madame X told the jury at the High Court she loved Mr Ivereigh and that she took "full responsibility" for having become pregnant during their relationship.

At first, she told the court, Mr Ivereigh had reacted positively, and had even asked for her hand in marriage on Valentine's Day, 2006.

But when she discovered a week later that she was pregnant with twins, he began to withdraw, the court heard.

"The frostiness I recall at that time came from him", she told the jury.

In two subsequent letters, he offered to help support the children, but without any commitment to her.

'Hypocrite' allegation

Madame X told the court: "They were not personal letters written to me.

"They were wicked and insensitive and showed no respect for me, my children, or the children that I carried."

After a furious row on 24 March, she miscarried, the jury heard.

Last week, Ronald Thwaites, Mr Ivereigh's QC, told the court the story had "falsely alleged that he was a hypocrite for not practising what he preached in relation to the issue of abortion".

'Blood froze'

The article also suggested Mr Ivereigh "manoeuvred" a student girlfriend into having an abortion 19 years ago after discovering she was pregnant, the court heard.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Mr Ivereigh said his job with the cardinal earned him £46,000-a-year and losing it had cost him £20,000.

"When I saw the article, I was just horrified, astonished," he told the court.

"My blood froze. I simply could not believe that they could run this story because these were lies."

He resigned from his job a month after the article was published.

The case continues.