* YOU BEEN SNAP BLOG * REDKNAPP OVER THE MOON AS JURY FINDS HIM NOT GUILTY "OF TAKING £189,000 IN BUNG'S AFTER EPIC FIVE YEAR PROBE" TODAY "

*MKILETEWA HAPA NA MISS FB*

Football boss Harry Redknapp spoke of his 'nightmare' after being cleared today of taking 'bungs' in an offshore tax dodge.

Speaking on the steps outside London's Southwark Crown Court, the Tottenham Hotspur manager said: 'It really has been a nightmare. I've got to be honest. It's been five years and this is a case that should never have come to court because it's unbelievable, really.

'It was horrendous, you know, but it was a unanimous decision. The jury were absolutely unanimous that there was no case to answer. I'm pleased now we can go home and get on with our lives.'

Jurors accepted Redknapp's angry denials that he avoided tax on any payments over £189,000 found in a Monaco account.

His acquittal alongside co-defendant former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric blows the final whistle on an exhaustive £8 million City of London Police investigation which failed to yield a single conviction after five years.

The pair hugged as the jury cleared them of all counts after deliberating for less than three hours

Innocent: Harry Redknapp is swamped by reporters outside Southwark Crown Court as he walks free. He told the media the case should never have come to court and described the five-year ordeal as a 'nightmare'

Free: Jurors accepted Redknapp's angry denials that he avoided tax on any payments over £189,000 found in a Monaco account;

Mandaric and former Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie were also cleared of £600,000 tax dodge claims at a previous trial, it can be reported for the first time.
The verdicts mark a disastrous conclusion to the protracted inquiry into football corruption by the tax authorities and City of London Police.

 

Chris Martin, from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said outside Southwark Crown Court that the taxman had 'no regrets' about pursuing the case.
He said: 'We accept the verdicts of the jury but I would like to remind those who are evading tax by using offshore tax havens that it always makes sense to come to talk to us before we come to talk to you.'

Relief: Milan Mandaric with his daughter Nina after the trial. The prosecution said Mandaric made an 'off-the-record' arrangement to compensate Redknapp for taking a smaller cut after a deal had gone through;

Milan Mandaric , left, and former Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie were also cleared of £600,000 tax dodge claims at a previous trial, it can be reported for the first time;

HARRY'S 'NIGHTMARE' ENDS

Harry Redknapp described his prosecution as 'a nightmare' today and said he would 'never forget' the support of the Spurs fans.
He said outside court: 'The support I've had from everybody at Tottenham - Donna Cullen (executive director) and Darren Eales, the secretary, have been here every day with me.
'And the support from Daniel Levy (chairman), who if he ever felt there was a problem when he gave me this job - this was going on over three years ago - would never have employed me.
'He knew this was never a case that should have ever come to court.
'I just have to thank the fans, especially the fans of Tottenham the other night - the Wigan game was the most moving I've ever felt.
'For me personally to have them singing my name throughout the game while all this was going on, that will always be special to me. I'll never forget that.
'And most important, obviously, my family, we've been pulled through it this last five years. This has been hanging over us.'
The 64-year-old added: 'I'm really just looking forward to getting home and seeing my wife Sandra and getting away from all this.
'It really has been a nightmare. I've got to be honest. It's been five years and this is a case that should never have come to court because it's unbelievable, really.

City of London Police began their investigation into money laundering in 2006.

BABA NA MWANA!!Support: Harry Redknapp (right) arrives at Southwark Crown Court with his son Jamie ahead of the verdict;