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NAVIGATION
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Sheridan libel jury considers a question of hypocrisy
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The Herald
TOM GORDON, Scottish Political Correspondent
A jury was
yesterday asked to decide whether Tommy Sheridan is a hypocrite, as the
former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party began a £200,000
defamation case against a national newspaper over allegations about his
private life.
In an
opening speech to the jury of six men and six women in the civil action
at the Court of Session, Alistair Clark, QC, for the News of the World,
said the paper was proud of "exposing hypocrisy on the part of public
figures".
Referring to the Glasgow MSP, he said: "He says he's not a hypocrite. We say that he is."
The hearing attracted so many people that some had to sit on the floor.
They
heard lawyers for the News of the World allege that the MSP cheated on
his wife, visited a swingers' club for casual sex, and took part in
orgies.
The paper's
lawyers also said they would show Mr Sheridan drank champagne while
claiming to be teetotal, and that he was a hypocrite who abused his
position of power as party leader.
Mr Sheridan is suing the News of the World after it claimed he had a four-year affair with Fiona McGuire, an SSP worker.
The
paper also said he cheated on his wife with Anvar Khan, one of the
tabloid's columnists, and other unnamed individuals. Mr Sheridan denies
the claims.
News Group Newspapers, the defender, says that the articles, published in late 2004 and early 2005, are "substantially true".
Mr Clarke said the paper would present five "chapters" of evidence.
The
first would tell how the paper investigated its story, and the second
would present evidence that Mr Sheridan visited a swingers' club in
Manchester called Cupid's with people other than his wife.
"These clubs are places where people go for casual sexual activity with others who like that sort of thing," Mr Clark said.
He said the third chapter would present evidence about alleged events in a suite at Glasgow's Moathouse Hotel in June 2002.
Mr Clark said that two witnesses saw Mr Sheridan having sex with a woman who was not his wife while another man was in the room.
The penultimate chapter would contend that Mr Sheridan committed adultery with "various other women".
The
final chapter would deal with a meeting of the SSP executive committee
on November 9, 2004, which resulted in Mr Sheridan resigning as leader.
While
Mr Sheridan was on record saying he quit to spend more time with his
pregnant wife Gail, there would be evidence, including a party minute,
that in fact he was forced to step down because of his private life, Mr
Clark said.
Later, the jury heard from Allison Kane, the SSP national treasurer.
Michael
Jones, QC, for The News of The World, asked her about an article which
the paper ran on October 31, 2004, in which Anvar Khan told of visiting
Cupid's with an unnamed MSP.
"Do you know the married MSP who had admitted visiting Cupid's?" he asked. "Yes, I do . . . Tommy," she replied.
Asked if it was true the MSP's resignation had nothing to do with his private life, she said: "No, that is not true."
She
said the SSP executive meeting of November 2004 had voted 19-0 to ask
him to step down in the wake of the Anvar Khan story, although the
party issued a statement that it was voluntary "to protect him".
The jury was then shown a minute of the meeting which recorded Mr Sheridan admitting visiting Cupid's in 1996 and 2002.
The
minute also said Mr Sheridan admitted this had been "reckless" and "a
mistake", but there was no proof he had visited the club and he would
deny it if asked.
Ms Kane said the mood had been one of "shock", with some members in tears as they absorbed the implications.
Richard
Keen, QC, for Mr Sheridan, then questioned the veracity of the minute,
implying it had been concocted by a cabal of people trying to usurp Mr
Sheridan, and that a different minute, which lacked any kind of
confession, was in fact the genuine account.
He asked why six other executive members had a different recollection of the meeting.
Ms Kane said he would need to ask the people concerned.
Was
it true, as the News of the World reported at the time, that a number
of SSP members were trying to "knife Mr Sheridan in the back"? Mr Keen
asked.
Ms Kane said it was not.
The hearing continues. |
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© TommyGate 2004
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