The afternoon session today continued with Maggie Scott's QC cross-examination of Carolyn Leckie. Ms Scott asked again about the executive meeting in the 9th November. She asked Ms Leckie if Tommy Sheridan had left that meeting early. She said he had as he "always manipulating things." Ms Scott pointed out that his reason for leaving was to show a scan of Mrs Sheridan's pregnancy to his sister, Ms Leckie remarked "That was him using Gail and his unborn child as a human shields."
Ms Scott then moved on to events after the verdict in the civil libel trial (4th August 2006) Ms Scott showed MS Leckie a press statement issued by her and others on the 5th August headed "Socialist's criticise Jury's verdict." She admitted she was "dismayed" by the verdict. She was also shown a internal SSP document, written by Alan McCombes, which stated that the jury in the Libel case were "The perpetrators of a monstrous political crime."
Then, after a brief recess, there followed a series of questions around the George McNeilage video which I'll cover later in a separate post.
The last witness of the day, and indeed the week, was Catriona Grant. Co-chair of the SSP in 2004. Ms Grant was questioned about the 9 November 2004 SSP executive meeting and gave substantially the same evidence as the other prosecution witnesses of that crucial event. She claimed that Tommy Sheridan had admitted attending the Cupid's club in Manchester yet was planning on taking out a libel action against the News of the World. She called this course of action "unreal" and "shocking." Ms Grant was also shown the handwritten notes, allegedly created by Barbara Scott on the 9th November and agreed that a notation in the corner had been written by here during the meeting.
The deputy advocate closed his questioning of Ms Grant by asking about an event in George Square in November 2001 where Ms Grant claimed to have seen Mr Sheridan and Katrina Troll leave the group they were with and go into the City Chambers together.
Ms Scott cross-examined Ms Grant re her position during the 9th November meeting and produced a drawing of the seating in the office that night which appeared to show that Ms Grant was not sitting beside Barbara Scott as she had claimed. Ms Grant denied that was an accurate seating plan of the night. Ms Scott also brought up again the question of the signed affidavit supposedly given to the Herald newspaper by a "senior SSP official" which led to a series of articles stating Tommy Sheridan had been forced out of the SSP conveners position due to concerns about sexual misconduct. Ms Grant confirmed that an SSP conference in 2006 mandated the party to investigate this event. Ms Grant however told the court that this investigation "Didn't happen" as "lots of things agreed that day didn't happen."
With that the court rose for the weekend.
