NICK FREEMAN, the celebrity lawyer whose ability to find flaws in the driving laws earned him the nickname Mr Loophole, protested his innocence yesterday after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Freeman, 49, one of Britain’s wealthiest solicitors, built his reputation as a defender of celebrities accused of speeding and drink-driving offences.

He successfully defended David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson, the snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan and the golfer Colin Montgomerie.

He and another man were arrested on Monday morning in Manchester by officers from Gwent Police in connection with an unspecified criminal investigation. He spent much of the day being questioned at Pendleton police station, Salford, about the inquiry, which is understood to centre on a court case in which Mr Freeman defended a client accused of a driving offence.

He was released at 11.30pm on police bail and is due to reappear next month. Officers also searched his offices in the centre of Manchester.

Shortly after 11am yesterday, Mr Freeman appeared at the electronic gates of his £3.5 million mansion in Mere, Cheshire — where he lives with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children — to deny any wrongdoing. Looking relaxed in front of the cameras, he said: “At this stage I cannot go into any details in relation to this allegation other than to say I am totally innocent.”

In the two decades since Mr Freeman moved into private practice he has accumulated a formidable reputation for pursuing weaknesses in the prosecution case. Opponents say that he puts the keys of highpowered cars back into the hands of drink-drivers.

He once told The Times: “It is not me who is to blame. If they [the prosecuting authorities] did their jobs properly, nobody would ever get off. All I am doing is protecting people from the police not doing their job properly.”

Mr Freeman’s break came in 1999 when he defended Sir Alex Ferguson on a charge of driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway. He argued that the Manchester United manager was hurrying to get to a lavatory because he had an upset stomach.

His success is built on an unrivalled knowledge of the complex drink-drive law, mastery of the brief and a determination to win. He is also prepared to spend weeks away from home driving to distant magistrates’ courts to spring a surprise on an unsuspecting prosecuting lawyer.

In September Meredydd Hughes, the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police, told the Association of Chief Police Officers, said that his officers would be looking for “unjustly acquitted” drivers.

Explore Law

• Columnists

• Law Panel

• Law Reports

• Student Law

Times Recommends

• BGC 'set aside £40m to lure Tullett brokers'
• Legal aid review to ensure value
• Fears as 21 magistrates' courts face closure