'Vindictive' judge a fear for Tommy Sheridan

Allies of perjurer Tommy Sheridan say they fear he could be jailed for a long time by a "vindictive" judge.

Members of Mr Sheridan's Solidarity party are bracing themselves for his sentencing on Wednesday.

His wife, Gail, believed to be a prospective Scottish Parliamentary candidate, may pull out of the election race if he is imprisoned for a long time.

Speculation has been rife that Mrs Sheridan is set to top the party's list for Glasgow.

Her prospective candidacy was recently all but confirmed by Mr Sheridan's fellow leftist George Galloway, who said Mrs Sheridan was the subject of abortive talks about a Galloway- Solidarity electoral slate.

Reports claimed that Mrs Sheridan would be "in no fit state" to stand if her husband received a long sentence.

Solidarity national secretary Graeme McIver said yesterday: "We have made no final decisions, and I don't think Gail has made her final decision. Any decision is likely to be made after Tommy's sentencing.

"Meanwhile, we're all offering our support and solidarity to Tommy, Gail and their broader family, particularly his mum Alice and his sisters.

"We really hope it's not a vindictive sentence."

Sheridan came under fire earlier this month after it emerged that, following his guilty verdict, he had used his Facebook page to vow to continue his fight. Legal experts warned that the apparent lack of contrition in doing so could risk angering the judge.

He was found guilty of five counts of perjury on 23 December, relating to evidence he gave in his civil action against the News of the World. The incidents occurred during an appearance at the Court of Session in 2006, in a successful defamation action against the newspaper, which had published allegations about his private life.