Coleen Rooney ‘hires Scotland Yard detective for Wagatha Christie legal case against Rebekah Vardy’

Coleen Rooney has reportedly hired a former Scotland Yard detective amid her ongoing Wagatha Christie legal case against Rebekah Vardy.  

According to The Mirror, the WAG, 35, has brought investigator Matt Blackband onto her legal team after a judge called for the disclosure of further WhatsApp messages between Rebekah, 39, and her agent Caroline Watt.

Coleen’s move comes after the judge at a two-day hearing earlier this week ruled that she had to pay 20 per cent of Vardy’s legal fees, expected to be around £30,000.

And as the case continues, it’s emerged that ex cyber-crime detective Matt is fighting Coleen’s corner as it came to light at the recent hearing that he’d been named as her ‘digital information expert’.

The Mirror reports that Matt has 30 years experience as an investigator, 21 of which was with the Met Police, while he also helped found the multi-agency National Hi-Tech Crime Unit.

A source told the publication: ‘Coleen believes the damning WhatsApp messages revealed in court last week between Rebekah and her agent Caroline Watt were the tip of an iceberg.

‘Understandably, having been put in this position, she is leaving no stone unturned. She’s confident of winning the court case as more evidence emerges.’

While a legal insider said: ‘Matt is one of the most outstanding operators in the business. He is a great weapon to have.’

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Coleen and Rebekah for comment.  

Meanwhile, Rebekah will reportedly donate any money she wins in her and Coleen’s £1 million ‘Wagatha Christie’ court case to charity.  

Amid the news Coleen will have to pay for legal fees, the judge said Coleen’s bid to add her rival’s agent Caroline Watts to the lawsuit was brought too late, and that previous opportunities to make the claim had not been taken. The WAG also had to cough up £65,000 for Caroline’s legal costs. 

Now, sources say Becky plans to give away any money she wins in the messy court case to charity and is ‘well aware people are horrified’ by the spiralling costs of the court case.  

An insider told The Sun: ‘Becky isn’t stupid. She’s well aware there are bigger things going on in the world right now, and that people are horrified at the amount of money she and Coleen have been throwing around, mainly in legal fees.

‘Becky never wanted things to go this far, and all she wants is for her name and reputation to be cleared. She’s not after a payday.

‘As a result, she’s decided to give any damages to charity and had her advisers set up meetings with a couples of charities. She wants some good to come from this sorry saga.’

MailOnline has contacted Rebekah’s representatives for comment.  

The two warring WAGs are now set for a £1million legal showdown in May after the High Court judge ruled this week on key areas that could decide the case and insisted it needed to be settled at a full trial as quickly as possible.

In further disappointment for Vardy, the judge refused an application from her lawyers that Coleen disclose communication between herself and six key people which included football agent Paul Stretford, two PR agents and some of her relatives. 

The court had already heard excerpts of explosive messages that were uncovered in which Becky called Coleen a ‘c**t’ and ‘nasty b****’ and fumed: ‘Stupid cow deserves everything she gets! Hope she gets sold out massively now.’

She also described the wife of Wayne Rooney as ‘trash’ and ‘up her own ar**’.

The messages also appeared to show Rebekah claiming she would like to leak stories about Coleen, with Caroline admitting she was responsible for one story appearing in The Sun.

Coleen’s legal team is now preparing to sift through more evidence from Becky which they insist proves their case she was the source of the leaks while maintaining the astonishing messages they have uncovered so far are just the tip of the iceberg.

A full trial is scheduled for May with both WAGs facing final legal costs of almost £1.8million. 

Ordering Coleen to pay £65,000 towards Ms Watt’s legal costs following the unsuccessful bid to join her to the libel case, Mrs Justice Steyn said: ‘It seems to me that is a reasonable and proportionate sum.

‘It is fair to say that a considerable period of time would have been needed given the standing-start the respondent had for what is, for the respondent, quite a substantial application’.

Mrs Justice Steyn said her reason for refusing the bid by Coleen’s legal team was that it was brought too late and that previous opportunities to make the claim had not been taken.