Well, yes, I think we\’ve all rather been waiting for the other shoe to drop, haven\’t we?
Tommy Sheridan, the flamboyant Scottish politician, was yesterday charged with perjury in relation to a £200,000 libel trial.
It\’s over the libel trial of course:
During the case the judge, Lord Turnbull, warned that a criminal investigation into perjury was "inevitable".
Tommy\’s reaction?
Police also searched his home in a north-western suburb of Glasgow. After he was released on bail, Mr Sheridan said he was the victim of a "political witchhunt" carried out by Rupert Murdoch, the owner of News Corporation which publishes the News of the World.
"This whole farcical inquiry, which has used up an incredible amount of public resources, has been orchestrated and influenced by the powerful reach of the Murdoch empire," he said. "This battle is going on however long it takes to clear my name."
Well, actually, the allegation seems to be that you lied in court in order to make off with £200,000 Tommy. And if that is actually proved then any sentence will be the least of it. For (and I\’m reasonably certain of this) I think you\’ll end up owing the NotW their legal fees from that case: usually something north of £1 million for a high profile libel one.
One Scottish wide boy behind bars.
One to go.
One? One? Scotland’s full of these Marxist scallies. Usually they pretend to repent and go and sit in the Westminster cabinet to rule over the English.
I stand corrected.
Although in all fairness, the ones in Cabinet are not quite wide boys are they? Treason doth never prosper…….
Tim,
It’s Edinburgh costs, so I don’t know if they’ll match London poun for pound; but sure, the principle holds good.
BTW, he lives in Cardonald, which is in the southwest, not northwest, of Glasgow.
I thought libel trials in britain did not depend on the truth…
just that by reporting the truth ,you were libeled…
correct me if I’m wrong…
Tim adds: Pretty certain that truth is an absolute defence against a libel claim.
http://www.yrtk.org/2007/article-libel-out-of-control/
Truth may be an absolute defence against a libel claim but the bugger is proving it. It is one of those torts where the presumption is of guilt. You have to prove your claim is true.
This is why Private Eye could be sued and lose by Tony Crossland et al for alleging they were drunk in Venice when they were, in fact, drunk in Venice, they just lied on the stand.
In fact I can think of a number of recent libel cases where the truth has not been the issue. But proving it has. Let us hope.