I am victim of political witch hunt, says Sheridan

Published on Sunday 16 December 2007 21:07

TOMMY Sheridan last night claimed he was the victim of a "political witch hunt" after being charged with perjury following his court victory over the News of the World.

The firebrand socialist accused police of "heavy-handed use of resources" after being questioned for six hours about evidence given against the newspaper – part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation media company – during last year's Court of Session defamation case.

Speaking outside Gayfield Square police station in Edinburgh, he said: "I believe this whole farcical inquiry, that has used up an incredible amount of public resources, has been orchestrated and influenced by the powerful reach of the Murdoch empire.

"Safe to say that this battle goes on, however long it takes to clear my name. I will prove my innocence in the fullness of time."

His extraordinary comments came after police made a dramatic arrest yesterday lunchtime in the car park of an Edinburgh radio station. The former Scottish Socialist Party MSP was leaving the South Gyle Crescent studios of Talk107 after his weekly show Sunday Morning with Citizen Tommy, when a white Mercedes estate pulled into the car park at speed, coming to a halt directly in front of Mr Sheridan's car.

A spokesman for Talk107 said: "Three plainclothes police officers got out and asked Tommy to get into the back of their vehicle. He was first allowed to collect an item from his own car.

"The officers talked to Tommy in the back of their unmarked car for three to four minutes, after which time he was driven away."

Officers also searched his Glasgow home, detaining and cautioning his wife, Gail, before taking away bags in an unmarked police car.

Mr Sheridan launched his defamation action against the News of the World after it carried allegations he had visited a swingers' club and had used drugs. After a month-long case in the summer of 2006, he emerged victorious and was awarded 200,000 in damages.

But it became clear the fight was not over. The News of the World promised to appeal and the judge, Lord Turnbull, said a perjury investigation was "pretty much inevitable" because of the contradictory evidence given to the court. The Crown Office spent two months looking at court transcripts and additional evidence before ordering the police to investigate in October last year. The police report was handed to the Crown Office in September.

The Conservative politicians Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken were both imprisoned for committing perjury, and, if Mr Sheridan was to be convicted of the same offence, he could face up to ten years in jail.

During the trial, the then SSP MSPs Colin Fox, Carolyn Leckie and Rosie Kane gave evidence against Mr Sheridan, while another SSP MSP, Rosemary Byrne, supported his case.

The two groups of MSPs gave different versions of what had happened at a key SSP meeting in November 2004, and they disagreed about whether Mr Sheridan had admitted, at that meeting, that he had attended a swingers' club.

There was other contradictory evidence, with witnesses claiming to have seen Mr Sheridan having sex with other women, while he and his wife denied the allegations.

Martha Rafferty, a lawyer for Anne Colvin and Helen Allison, two of the main witnesses for the News of the World in the defamation trial, said last night: "My clients welcome this development. They hope this will mean an early trial in the High Court. They maintain they told the truth under oath and hope their position will be vindicated next year."

Aamer Anwar, the solicitor representing the former MSP, last night said: "The way Lothian and Borders Police have handled this is totally excessive.

They have had a year in which to carry out their inquiry. If they had lifted up the phone he would have come down. The fact that they detained his wife in her home and came to his workplace is simply unacceptable."

Mr Sheridan found time to make a political point during last night's tirade. He said: "I have been kept in here for eight hours but despite all of that I do not wish to retract my statement in support of trade union rights for police officers to strike even though I am less than happy with them right now."

He added: "I am looking forward to getting home and hugging my wife and my two-year-old child who have had the very, very frightening experience of having nine officers invade her home."