tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5007921615949131672024-03-21T09:18:16.950+00:00The Sheridan TrialWe are posting live updates and analysis from the perjury trial of Her Majesty's Advocate versus Thomas Sheridan and Gail Sheridan.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-31412991446127285302011-02-04T13:41:00.010+00:002011-02-07T11:35:49.346+00:00The Last Post<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAzajt9yWo0Icd60Q5tvFljj40mRuXJWufm_R_u0RWPC1ujbUx7uURVKig4jWPWN7Qp_VZw_tsL25KeYdsbC0I4a-EPhXtuTaISfmow1-mViB7GyBvRaDTFUrVMExDM5h6XoOmz9iM4Jk/s1600/The+Verdict+Tommy+and+Amer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAzajt9yWo0Icd60Q5tvFljj40mRuXJWufm_R_u0RWPC1ujbUx7uURVKig4jWPWN7Qp_VZw_tsL25KeYdsbC0I4a-EPhXtuTaISfmow1-mViB7GyBvRaDTFUrVMExDM5h6XoOmz9iM4Jk/s320/The+Verdict+Tommy+and+Amer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Duncan Brown</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it is now coming up to ten days since the end of the trial of Her Majesties Advocate vs Thomas Sheridan we have decided to bring the Sheridan Trial blog to an end. We will leave it online as an archive but, unless something dramatic happens, we will not be producing any further updates. We will leave comments open over the weekend to allow people to make their final contributions and then shut that down on Monday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As people will doubtless be aware the first accused, Tommy Sheridan was <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/verdict.html">found guilty</a> of five charges of perjury and <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommy-sheridan-sentenced-to-three-years.html">sentenced </a>to three years imprisonment. While this is not the result they wanted Mr Sheridan's legal team would argue that the fact that<a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/updated-indictment.html"> fourteen of the original nineteen charges were either dropped</a> or not found proven by the jury, shows that they conducted an effective defence. Mr Sheridan's lawyer Aamer Aanwar has already announced that he will be <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/grounds-for-appeal.html">lodging an appeal</a>. A defence campaign has been launched for Mr Sheridan, they have a website <a href="http://www.defendtommysheridan.org/">Here</a> Mr Sheridan also has a blog which <a href="http://tommysheridan.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/january-31st-2011/">has an account</a> of his first week in prison</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second accused Gail Sheridan was </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/gail-sheridan-acquitted.html">acquitted on all charges</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Despite </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2011/01/gail-sheridan-expected-to-stand-for.html">speculation</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to the contrary Mrs Sheridan has announced that she will </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2011/01/gail-sheridan-expected-to-stand-for.html">not be seeking a nomination</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> as a candidate in the Scottish elections. There have reports that she may stand for Glasgow city council in the Craigton ward.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A number of witnesses in the case will however be standing in the Scottish elections this May. Frances Curran, Colin Fox and Kevin McVey have already been <a href="http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/new_stories/election2011/SSP-announces-top-of-regional-lists-2011.html">announced as candidates</a> for the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scottish Socialist Party. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also expected that a number of defence witnesses will be nominated by Solidarity Scotland, however no formal announcement has yet been made on this.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andrew Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2011/01/andrew-coulson-resigns.html">has resigned</a> his post as Director of Communications at 10 Downing Street. <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics-news/2011/01/23/tommy-sheridan-trial-provoked-resignation-of-top-spin-doctor-andy-coulson-86908-22869915/">Some reports</a> have cited his appearance as a witness at the Sheridan Trial as a factor in his decision to quit. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story around "phone hacking" by people associated with the News of the World has continued to develop since the case ended. The Metropolitan Police have </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12294854">announced</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that they have begun a new investigation into the allegations.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a personal note I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this blog possible. The people at court who made sure I got in to observe proceedings every day and the staff at Glasgow High court for their assistance and the two legal teams. I'd also like to mention some of the journalists who helped me out and gave me advice on how to stay within the law while reporting, in no particular order I'd like to thank </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Severin Carrel </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alison Campsie, Bernard Ponsonby, Raymond Buchanan, Yana Thandrayen, Catriona Renton, Audrey Gillan, Alan Taylor and Mark Daly and many others. Also I'd like to recommended the web sites of my unofficial legal advisors, <a href="http://loveandgarbage.wordpress.com/">Love and Garbage</a> and <a href="http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.com/">Lallands Peat Worrier</a> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd also like to congratulate "Whatsy" for their work, without that the site would not have managed to cover as much as it did. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, after some thought I've decided not to accept donations for the site. I started this blog partly to see if it was possible to "blog a trial"and partly because it might be useful for the Scottish Left to have as an objective as possible account of events and testimony at the trial. Therefore it seems wrong to solicit money for this endevour. Some commentators have asked if we could nominate a charity, I'd suggest people could do worse than donate to <a href="http://govanlc.blogspot.com/">Govan Law Centre </a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks again to everyone</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update Monday 7 February</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comments are now closed. We can still be reached by email at sheridantrial@gmail.com</span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-36465925501194963152011-02-01T13:41:00.000+00:002011-02-01T13:41:58.470+00:00Andy Coulson Leaves Downing Street Job<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05kTZnANWXicTFLTSmn2tJj_qJEJSKzTnWQzcS45_644E0_3sTMatf6l2zi8wqQMnqqulV-gGf4BxI-gAh9P9rkWvwNcHie9bIXFe3NjABv2mMz-ZQDhcOEwXqVVD0IKcVJNRU3bp3-VL/s1600/Andy-Coulson-who-recently-007+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05kTZnANWXicTFLTSmn2tJj_qJEJSKzTnWQzcS45_644E0_3sTMatf6l2zi8wqQMnqqulV-gGf4BxI-gAh9P9rkWvwNcHie9bIXFe3NjABv2mMz-ZQDhcOEwXqVVD0IKcVJNRU3bp3-VL/s320/Andy-Coulson-who-recently-007+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #666666; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Guardian is reporting that Andrew Coulson, editor of the News of the World from 2003 until 2007 and a witness in the trial of Tommy and Gail Sheridan, has ended his employment as the Prime Ministers Director of Communications. They are also reporting that he will not receive any severance pay <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"> as "is in line with the standard contract for special advisers"</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">The full story is <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/01/andy-coulson-leaves-no-10-job">Here</a></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-54491416588099696922011-01-31T13:37:00.005+00:002011-01-31T15:53:58.098+00:00"A revelation that gives hope to Tommy Sheridan"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialc3lUGIbPQekWsKGy9nBfsuzclGestTHc0xIsMF05AHHO92UQzcJ0U_ctwwb169dLQHZwConSEnTLpXxgvmleeF3dBinDnyVWCQiBdK2fkyr_qKlZHEv5uJgVqfGusgjqSgtXLH8rdjU/s1600/bob-bird-583037455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialc3lUGIbPQekWsKGy9nBfsuzclGestTHc0xIsMF05AHHO92UQzcJ0U_ctwwb169dLQHZwConSEnTLpXxgvmleeF3dBinDnyVWCQiBdK2fkyr_qKlZHEv5uJgVqfGusgjqSgtXLH8rdjU/s320/bob-bird-583037455.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Bird, Scottish Editor of the News of the World</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Independent has a <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/a-revelation-that-gives-hope-to-tommy-sheridan-2198997.html">Piece</a> today, written by Cahal Milmo and Martin Hickman, on the news we linked to yesterday that the News of the World had <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/news-international-finds-lost-emails-that-could-provide-evidence-in-phonehacking-case-2198996.html">recovered emails</a> that the court in the Sheridan trial was told by Bob Bird had been "lost." (see <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/11/bob-bird-conclusion-of-cross.html">Here</a> for our report on that section of Mr Bird's testimony) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article states;<i> </i></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">News International now says Mr Bird unintentionally misled the court, but insists that all the emails sought by the defence were disclosed to it either by the newspaper or the police. </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Sheridan's legal team suspects that more information should have been disclosed, and plans to launch an appeal in the hope of springing Sheridan from Barlinnie jail, where he has begun a thre</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>e-Year Jail term</i>"</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-64538837669792179992011-01-31T02:05:00.004+00:002011-01-31T17:46:55.505+00:00News International finds 'lost' emails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkodQAwi7qTiic4IzJtGqGVfDuPxwAFUBT0SZxZSP88qkG66aoIOmlK06KKGsltQBG2h1YILnAnBRLk9b2fDfWWN2BQuXsbosNBtmkAraefPgnLOeCyiIs9yInT4IIfn-MReUdwzLOc2gx/s1600/emails-recovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkodQAwi7qTiic4IzJtGqGVfDuPxwAFUBT0SZxZSP88qkG66aoIOmlK06KKGsltQBG2h1YILnAnBRLk9b2fDfWWN2BQuXsbosNBtmkAraefPgnLOeCyiIs9yInT4IIfn-MReUdwzLOc2gx/s320/emails-recovery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Indpendent is <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/news-international-finds-lost-emails-that-could-provide-evidence-in-phonehacking-case-2198996.html">Reporting</a> <i>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">A "lost" hoard of emails sent by senior executives in Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire at the height of the phone-hacking scandal has been found " </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"><i>The claim that emails had been lost was made by the News of the World's Scotland editor Bob Bird during the perjury trial of the former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan in November. Giving evidence on oath, he said that many emails sought by the defence had gone missing while being transferred to India</i> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;">" (our reports about Mr Bird's testimony on this issue can be viewed <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/11/bob-bird-cross-examination-pt-3.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/11/bob-bird-conclusion-of-cross.html">Here</a> )</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The piece continues</span></span><br />
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<div class="font-null" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aamer Anwar, Sheridan's solicitor, said: "This is unacceptable. We were told repeatedly by Mr Bird in these proceedings that this material was lost in Mumbai. Now we are told it is in the UK. My client would not accept an explanation that there was a misunderstanding. We will look closely at any response from News International and are considering a complaint to the police and the Crown Office. If there is evidence information was intentionally not supplied we would expect criminal proceedings. "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Labour MP Tom Watson, who has campaigned for a new police force to look into hacking, said: "If the jury in the Sheridan trial was misled then there should be an urgent review of the case."</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-17092887351142691372011-01-30T11:29:00.004+00:002011-01-30T13:46:01.098+00:00Sheridan solicitor: "newspaper hacked my phone messages"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVU1BrEWgP5nKIA_yr7i5-SUZfoNnHUk4xmwvJHdZeJSE8tG4UzlmTotE_HSmskJI-t9UFx6Qkx2CT7_S4e_W9uOCyv2YTv50Lfavi_0LHaMST-8plxRH4PIW4OOwQa5d1CMQIn0w3HY5/s1600/AamerAnwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVU1BrEWgP5nKIA_yr7i5-SUZfoNnHUk4xmwvJHdZeJSE8tG4UzlmTotE_HSmskJI-t9UFx6Qkx2CT7_S4e_W9uOCyv2YTv50Lfavi_0LHaMST-8plxRH4PIW4OOwQa5d1CMQIn0w3HY5/s200/AamerAnwar.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Scottish Herald is reporting this morning that Tommy Sheridan's lawyer Aamer Anwar is planning to make a complaint to the police tomorrow alleging that the the News Of The World tried to "hack" his mobile phone. The article states; <i>"The solicitor, who represented Tommy Sheridan during his perjury trial, said he was contacted by Vodafone shortly before the court case began last year, warned that there had been an attempt to access his messages and told he should change his PIN number.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can read the full article </span><a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/home-news/sheridan-solicitor-newspaper-hacked-my-phone-messages-1.1082613">Here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-30246005000875830722011-01-28T14:55:00.000+00:002011-01-28T14:55:43.310+00:00Tommy Sheridan's Statement on his Imprisonment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwEi1ZgaEJH_j38TKM91EMHSbbk7wrhbCns5LfKCBPYt8OwTIorLTCI_AobmsIRuSr7Oh4s5KKNBdg1Qi7xpJelFPNzN5E_CyCuo4-TGvB6JVtAuXVT4NH30LQDL4fd-iXLGVqyxTao6w/s1600/Tommy+Sheridan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwEi1ZgaEJH_j38TKM91EMHSbbk7wrhbCns5LfKCBPYt8OwTIorLTCI_AobmsIRuSr7Oh4s5KKNBdg1Qi7xpJelFPNzN5E_CyCuo4-TGvB6JVtAuXVT4NH30LQDL4fd-iXLGVqyxTao6w/s200/Tommy+Sheridan.jpg" width="171" /></a></div><div id="mpf0_MsgContainer" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;"><br />
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</div><div id="mpf0_MsgContainer" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22px;">This was posted on Tommy Sheridan's <a href="http://tommysheridan.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/the-fight-isnt-over-yet/">Blog</a> yesterday:</div><div id="mpf0_MsgContainer" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;"><br />
</div><div id="mpf0_MsgContainer" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Comrades,<br />
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By the time you read this I will be a guest of the Crown. Despite a tremendous fight against the combined forces of the state and the Murdoch empire, we have lost this round. But the fight isn’t over yet.<br />
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Though I have been in jail before, this time will be tougher because I will be separated from my family. But my plight is nothing compared to the families blown apart and torn apart by the horrors of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have friends whose husbands, sons and fathers have to go to fight wars in these places, some of them never return. My family’s troubles do not compare to the loss these people face.<br />
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Across the world there are migrants who have to leave their families and travel across the world, trying to earn enough just to eat, sometimes never seeing them for years, if at all. There are families who lose everything in natural and man-made disasters. In Haiti their lives are destroyed by Earthquake, in Australia by floods, in Gaza by Israeli Bulldozers.<a href="http://tommysheridan.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/g20-protests2_1374149c.jpg" style="color: #4265a7; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"></a><br />
<a href="http://tommysheridan.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/haiti_earthquake_prepares_for_death_toll_of_thousands_xlarge.jpg" style="color: #4265a7; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-151" height="187" src="http://tommysheridan.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/haiti_earthquake_prepares_for_death_toll_of_thousands_xlarge.jpg?w=300&h=187" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; border-width: initial; float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" title="Haiti_Earthquake_Prepares_for_Death_Toll_of_Thousands_xlarge" width="300" /></a><br />
These are the people who make us know that it is right to fight for a better and fairer world, these are the people who show the strength to keep going and fight back. When we fight back it can mean that we become a target of those in power. Right now, I am the target and I am being made to pay. I accept that and, inspired by students across this country, and my brothers and sisters in Tunisia and Egypt, know that it is right to fight on.<br />
<br />
It may be some time before I can join you again on the picket lines, at the protests against war and weapons of mass destruction, at the marches and meetings to fight against the slash and burn policies of the Government coalition. But I will be there in spirit and, before long, will be back by your side, fighting the good fight.<br />
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I have been humbled and empowered by the strength of the support you all have shown to me and Gail, I am lucky to be supported by some outstanding and talented individuals and organisations, I will be alright. I urge you to give your support to trade unions in their struggle against the cuts, students in their battle for fair and equal right to education, ordinary families on benefits who face the brunt of the tory onslaught. They need you now, more than ever.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">In Solidarity,</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Tommy</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-29748733394384866172011-01-28T12:53:00.002+00:002011-01-28T13:40:14.701+00:00"The women who refused to lie for Tommy Sheridan"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgXWvxcnfBpG7PrG1ckHucybzuQBeBpIyuO3DvWNO7gIb_Y-YyN8p0b1iCdgFpd_LeYIlVuXMGZdL1m77eapR7Yrd0QD83UzC2Ok8SdMv2tzqjXMkcm-tRAgczjvlygIiKGEO2S41F-Gi/s1600/Female-SSP-members-who-st-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgXWvxcnfBpG7PrG1ckHucybzuQBeBpIyuO3DvWNO7gIb_Y-YyN8p0b1iCdgFpd_LeYIlVuXMGZdL1m77eapR7Yrd0QD83UzC2Ok8SdMv2tzqjXMkcm-tRAgczjvlygIiKGEO2S41F-Gi/s320/Female-SSP-members-who-st-007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph by Murdo MacLeod</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning The Guardian has published an article by Julie Bindel which contains quotes from Crown witnesses in the case, Barbara Scott, Carolyn Leckie, Pam Currie, Catriona Grant Rosie Kane and Katrine Trolle. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can read the full piece </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/28/tommy-sheridan-perjury-sexism?showallcomments=true#comment-fold">Here</a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile the Scotsman is reporting that they have obtained "a copy of a letter from the Defend Tommy Sheridan campaign to the First Minister, demanding a probe into the "role, conduct and performance" of Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini in pursuing the case against the left-winger." That article is <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Campaigners-call-on-Salmond-to.6704698.jp">Here</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally the Scottish Sun Newspaper has ran three stories that appear to have been based on interviews with Tony Cumberbirch these can be found <a href="http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3376241/Sheridan-sex-club-shame-laid-bare.html">Here</a>. Mr Cumberbirtches testimony at the trial can be viewed <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/11/anthony-cumberbirch.html">Here</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-4708215156033975882011-01-27T16:59:00.001+00:002011-01-27T17:02:58.781+00:00BBC Scotland Yesterday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTExy6r9YRGGoC9r3AykjC9ZcLjPfq37jDc1zGekum3A3VWxfYWmmG3bpf8-xPoDjkPDNXuxeHKoj_qtO3qfqm8QCtQebGuXVuDCrucxkB1IeC5vLkwno_F1xHXe8ZJW5NlxwirAPWwdt/s1600/BBC_SCOTLAND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTExy6r9YRGGoC9r3AykjC9ZcLjPfq37jDc1zGekum3A3VWxfYWmmG3bpf8-xPoDjkPDNXuxeHKoj_qtO3qfqm8QCtQebGuXVuDCrucxkB1IeC5vLkwno_F1xHXe8ZJW5NlxwirAPWwdt/s200/BBC_SCOTLAND.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We thought people outside Scotland may be interested to view two BBC Scotland discussions about the sentencing of Tommy Sheridan. The first is from "The Politics Show" broadcast yesterday afternoon where Gregor Gall, John Curtice and myself discuss the implications of the trial for the Scottish Left. That debate begins 31.30 minutes into the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xzm18/Politics_Scotland_26_01_2011/">Programme</a>.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second link is from yesterday evening's Newsnight Scotland where there is an interview with Mr Sheridan's lawyer Aamer Anwar. George Galloway and two witnesses from the trial, Francis Curran and Phillip Stott also discuss the outcome of the case and it's political implications. You can view the full programme <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00y57r6/Newsnight_Scotland_26_01_2011/">Here</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-35189921440921005462011-01-27T13:46:00.002+00:002011-01-27T13:49:04.266+00:00Kenneth Roy and Ian Mcwhirter<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two of the best known Scottish political journalists, Kenneth Roy and Ian Macwhiter have articles published on the Sheridan case this morning that we thought may be of interest</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ian Macwhirter <a href="http://iainmacwhirter2.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommy-sheridan-v-andy-coulson-its-not.html">Writes</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This whole episode has been a farce - and an expensive one for the tax payers who have to pay most of the costs of the police investigation and the trial. Even the sentence was a joke. Sheridan will spent a year or so in Castle Huntly open prison, burnishing his anti-establishment image, then he’ll be back on the streets again, surrounded by cheering admirers. He will use his time in prison wisely, no doubt writing his memoirs - which is how disgraced politicians traditionally use such enforced leisure - and campaigning for penal reform. He may even be back on the campaign trail for the Holyrood elections in 2015. Well, why not? There is nothing to prevent a convicted criminal, even one who lied under oath, from standing for parliament after he has paid his debt to society." </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kenneth Roy meanwhile looks at The Scottish media's reporting of the case </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scottishreview.net/index.shtml">Arguing</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> It was perhaps too much to expect that the humanity of Lord Bracadale – earlier demonstrated in his decision to continue bail for a month before sentencing – would set a rational example to the tweeting mob in and around the court. As it happened, it was the only exhibition of humanity on display as the prisoner went down. Elsewhere there was a viciousness quite breathtaking to behold" adding </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> " The press coverage this morning is, of course, more cruel and horrible than anything of which the BBC, even in its present low condition, is capable. 'Daddy's Away to Work' screams the Daily Mail....'What lying Sheridan will tell his little girl while he's in a jail cell'. Journalists have been defined as people who make small children cry in the playground. It is difficult to say which is more repellent – the readiness to victimise children or the high moral tone in which it is done.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> "</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several readers in the comments have also mentioned this <a href="http://www.scottishreview.net/KRoy76.shtml">Piece</a> from Kenneth Roy yesterday, which is very complimentary about the blog.</span></span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-43978367209001945612011-01-27T12:44:00.005+00:002011-01-27T14:06:20.040+00:00Gail Sheridan "Not standing in Holyrood elections"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74u6ovPl0-K_nUj4Vx2wgx4rIOWD1owrsdTV3ibbVdpCyfZJDVIFVeI_bLTp1BbA7MIbPO00Hoi2o1Sr7213Mc_lswnCR3wihfOQmuBdn0wwXvnYGKQAM49Dg2sd6luE7w_UcL2h62hn8/s1600/68839526-gail-sheridan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74u6ovPl0-K_nUj4Vx2wgx4rIOWD1owrsdTV3ibbVdpCyfZJDVIFVeI_bLTp1BbA7MIbPO00Hoi2o1Sr7213Mc_lswnCR3wihfOQmuBdn0wwXvnYGKQAM49Dg2sd6luE7w_UcL2h62hn8/s200/68839526-gail-sheridan.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Guardian's Scottish correspondent, Severin Carrell, has just reported, via Twitter, that Gail Sheridan has confirmed she will not be standing as a candidate in the 2011 Holyrood elections. More information to come when we get it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update 1pm</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BBC Scotland's Raymond Buchanan has confirmed the story and has this quote from Gail Sheridan </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I would have welcomed the challenge" of Holyrood but priority is caring for young daughter now husband in jail</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">STV are quoting Mrs Sheridan as adding </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">“I am flattered by those Solidarity members and members of the public who considered me good enough to stand for the Scottish Parliament.</span></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="font-weight: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"As a lifelong trade unionist and advocate of workers’ rights I would have welcomed the challenge. However, given Tommy’s imprisonment my priority is caring for our beautiful daughter.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"In the coming elections I will be supporting and voting for Solidarity and will be encouraging other to do likewise.”</span></div><div style="font-weight: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update 2pm</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Solidarity Scotland have now issued a press statement on Gail Sheridan's decision not to stand for Holyrood:</span><br />
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</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><i>After a period of deliberation, Solidarity member Gail Sheridan has today announced that she does not want to be considered as a candidate for the party at the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Elections.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We offer our full support and Solidarity to Gail and her family at this difficult time.</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Solidarity continues to be involved in talks with possible coalition partners for the Holyrood poll and following the conclusion of these discussions we will meet as a party on February 19<sup>th</sup> to make final decisions on our plans and election strategy.</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Whether we stand on our own, or as part of a wider coalition, Solidarity members will put at the heart of the campaign our opposition to the scandalous cuts proposed by the main parties that ensure ordinary people have to pay the price for the bail out of the banks.</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The three commentators on the case are Raymond Buchanan of the BBC, Alison Campsie of the Herald and myself,</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-16794721762854478892011-01-26T21:37:00.002+00:002011-01-26T23:37:23.062+00:00Tommy Sheridan Mitigation Speech in Full<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The BBC have posted a full transcript of Tommy Sheridan's speech of mitigation.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It can be found <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/26_01_11_sheridan_plea.pdf">Here</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-19471827279951626902011-01-26T20:31:00.006+00:002011-01-26T21:56:55.926+00:00Tommy Sheridan's Statement in Mitigation Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyV3kReLg_ELgboRveEPADk5lMGXYPrYWOmoI7N-TYVIuomZ7DKYlr81L48-XCT1-vET7VgyGg7_O3FkEPcRhI2g1Mz7hB6uIIaf6_U4ZPHBWRMiur1A4hFEEalANS4S3TDoQeP1xXy8t/s1600/Gail%252BSheridan%252BTommy%252BSheridan%252BAttends%252BPerjury%252BH4pT4cp1YeJl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyV3kReLg_ELgboRveEPADk5lMGXYPrYWOmoI7N-TYVIuomZ7DKYlr81L48-XCT1-vET7VgyGg7_O3FkEPcRhI2g1Mz7hB6uIIaf6_U4ZPHBWRMiur1A4hFEEalANS4S3TDoQeP1xXy8t/s320/Gail%252BSheridan%252BTommy%252BSheridan%252BAttends%252BPerjury%252BH4pT4cp1YeJl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As court resumed this morningm Lord Bracadale, the presiding judge in the trial of Her Majesties Advocate Vs Thomas Sheridan, warned those attending not to engage in any "inappropriate behavior," Tommy Sheridan rose from his seat in the dock of court number four to begin his plea in mitigation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan began by thanking the court workers, including the canteen staff, for their assistance in what had been a "long trial." Mr Sheridan then told the court that he "recognised the jury had carried out a difficult task" in a case that was "long and arduous." He then stated that the court would be aware "by fair means or foul" that he had been convicted by "the narrowest of majorities." adding that while he agreed that perjury was a serious crime that "strikes at the heart of justice" it was important to look at the context in which he brought his case against the News of the World.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan asked Lord Bracadale to recall that he had originally taken action against the News of the World over an article they had published on the 14th November 2004 that alleged he had a four year affair with Fiona McGuire, an article Mr Sheridan described as "grossly offensive and and defamatory" Mr Sheridan claimed that these allegations had been printed "without a shred of foundation" and were a "paid for packet of hurtful lies." Mr Sheridan then asked Lord Bracadale to ignore the "hype and publicity before, during and after the trial" and to "pause and reflect" on the circumstances of that case. Mr Sheridan stated to the court that "No-one had been killed" due to his offence and that "no-one had been falsely imprisoned" </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan then asked the court to consider that there was no precedent in Scotland for a perjury trial arising from a civil case so therfore he would draw on the precedents of cases heard in English courts. He pointed out that Jonathan Aitken received a sentence of only 18 months for suborning a witness (his daughter) in a libel case and that Jeffrey Archer had been given a prison term of four years for a series of offences that were far more serious than those he had been convicted of committing. Mr Sheridan also asked Lord Bracadale to take into account the case of Regina Vs Fieldman were a 55 year old man of "previous good character" had been sentenced to nine months for three counts of perjury in an English Crown Court, adding that in his case the "fact of imprisonment" may be seen as "punishment enough" irrespective of the length of that imprisonment.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan then told the court that while he accepted that a custodial sentence in this case was "inevitable" the length of the sentence he should be given was a matter of "serious debate." Mr Sheridan then made reference to what he called the "armchair lawyers" and the "vindictive media" who had been calling for a sentence of "four to five years." These articles Mr Sheridan described as being produced by "journalists with agendas" who had, in his words, "already announced my fate. Mr Sheridan stated to the court that his lawyer Aamer Anwar had assured him that Lord Bracadale would be "above such speculation."</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tommy Sheridan then asked the court to consider that his "his history" showed that financial gain had "never been a motivation for me" pointing out that fact that while he was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) he had donated half of his salary to the Scottish Socialist Party. Mr Sheridan then went on to cite statistics from the English Crown Courts which showed that between 1991 and 2000, 830 people had been convicted of perjury of which 437 had received prison sentences. Mr Sheridan then stated these sentences were:</span><br />
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<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 person was sentenced to between 5 to 7 years</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 people were sentenced to between 4 to 5 years</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 people were sentenced to between 3-5 years</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11 people were sentenced to between 3-4 years</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan then asked Lord Bracadale to consider a particular case, again in England, where 30 defendents had been convicted of perjury in connection with, what Mr Sheridan described as "Trial fixing" yet had only received 18 month sentences. Mr Sheridan then brought into consideration the case of two defendents , who were convicted of committing perjury in a trial connected with the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Ice_Cream_Wars">Ice Cream Wars</a>." A perjury that had led, in Mr Sheridan's words, to an innocent man "Serving 12 years of a life sentence." In these cases, Mr Sheridan told the court, those convicted served only 6 and 5 years and invited the court to take into account that while he "inevitably faced a custodial sentence" a sentence of more that four years would be "inconsistent with precendence.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part Two to follow.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-63091657776556163782011-01-26T19:14:00.000+00:002011-01-26T19:14:41.709+00:00Scottish Television Interview with Tommy Sheridan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsASgUAUb6qX8rXN_ZDud27ULr9aI4Jv22JN28xR_GvKb8PfNvD6lZ-tImObMJiqavUMdq8leStNikxKUUJ1HIrwX0v5n7BBICdqY5UkE2IvjO-yQuNn7c4kv5SeUTWgyxvkLXNGQlz0mI/s1600/90002-budget-reaction-stv-political-editor-bernard-ponsonby-200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsASgUAUb6qX8rXN_ZDud27ULr9aI4Jv22JN28xR_GvKb8PfNvD6lZ-tImObMJiqavUMdq8leStNikxKUUJ1HIrwX0v5n7BBICdqY5UkE2IvjO-yQuNn7c4kv5SeUTWgyxvkLXNGQlz0mI/s200/90002-budget-reaction-stv-political-editor-bernard-ponsonby-200.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernard Ponsonby</td></tr>
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly before his sentencing Tommy Sheridan conducted an interview with Scottish Television's Bernard Ponsonby</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The full video of that interview can be viewed <a href="http://news.stv.tv/scotland/223657-stvs-full-interview-with-tommy-sheridan/">Here</a></span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-47555895358108867422011-01-26T14:33:00.004+00:002011-01-26T16:16:18.300+00:00Sheridan vows to fight convictionVia the Press Association<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/disgraced-tommy-sheridan-jailed-for-three-years-2194651.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/disgraced-tommy-sheridan-jailed-for-three-years-2194651.html</a><br />
<br />
Disgraced socialist politician Tommy Sheridan vowed to keep fighting as he was jailed for three years for perjury.<br />
<br />
The former MSP described his punishment for lying to the courts during his successful defamation action against the News of the World in 2006 as "heartbreaking".<br />
After being sentenced, he announced his intention to appeal against his conviction.<br />
In a statement read outside court by his solicitor, Aamer Anwar, he said: "This multi-million pound prosecution will separate me from my wife and child and that will be heartbreaking. But I will continue to fight a system that protects the real criminals - the rich and powerful."<br />
After a three-month trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Sheridan, 46, was found guilty in December of lying about the newspaper's claims that he was an adulterer who visited swingers' clubs.<br />
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Sheridan's wife Gail, who has vowed to stand by her husband, was also accused of lying to the jury at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, but she was acquitted when the Crown dropped the case against her last month.<br />
Mrs Sheridan sat in court, as close as possible to her husband, as the judge Lord Bracadale delivered his sentence. She led the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant's family, friends and comrades in a one-fisted salute as he was led, handcuffed, to the cells.<br />
Outside court, Mrs Sheridan said: "Tommy has dedicated his life to helping others. The real reason why he's been imprisoned today is because he has fought injustice and inequality with every beat of his heart.<br />
<br />
"But it won't be long before Tommy is back stronger and continuing the fight."<br />
Before he was sentenced, Sheridan, who conducted his own defence for most of the trial, said: "I remain a passionate socialist and am determined to put to positive use my time in custody."<br />
Copyright © 2011 The Press Association. All rights reserved.<br />
Related articlesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-18826875562219204392011-01-26T13:19:00.002+00:002011-01-26T13:19:18.366+00:00News of the World Statement on Sentence<div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.26; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This is a just outcome to a long and complex criminal case. Today's sentence also provides closure for the many witnesses who very bravely exposed their own lives to public scrutiny when they testified to Mr Sheridan's guilt.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.26; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.26; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Mr Sheridan has been jailed for lying to a court to secure victory when he sued the News of the World for defamation in 2006. At the time he was an elected member of the Scottish Parliament. As we have made clear, we have an appeal lodged against that defamation verdict and we now look forward to that appeal succeeding in Scotland's Court of Session."</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-37437245842133645662011-01-26T13:17:00.002+00:002011-01-27T15:16:28.320+00:00Scottish Socialist Party Statement on Sentence<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Scottish Socialist Party has now issued a statement on the sentencing of Tommy Sheridan.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Today's proceedings at Glasgow High Court finally end the ill advised action Tommy Sheridan initiated 6 years ago in suing a tabloid over allegations he knew to be true. The jury found him guilty and the court has now passed sentence.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He alone is responsible for where he sleeps tonight, no one else.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He pursued legal action full in the knowledge he would lie in court. He asked his closest political allies and friends to join him in that crazy strategy and then turned on us because we refused. He still shows no sign of taking responsibility for his own actions.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More widely this affair is a stark warning of the dangers of allowing personal celebrity to displace political principles.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"></div><a name='more'></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The economic and social challenge faced by the people in Scotland are however much more important.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The political injustices they face day in day out is of greater concern to us and can only be solved with socialist policies on jobs, wages, homes and wealth redistribution.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The SSP fully intends to put such policies to the public across Scotland as part of our Holyrood election campaign for a democratic Scottish socialist republic.</span></span></div><div id="p7eq5" style="line-height: 18px; padding-bottom: 429px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now as never before Scotland needs a party of integrity and clear socialist principles. Holyrood needs socialist MSP's offering socialist policies more than ever as a clear alternative to the cuts sackings agenda being pursued by the current gang of complacent, out of touch politicians.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-13430101568490786302011-01-26T13:07:00.002+00:002011-01-26T13:26:49.522+00:00Solidarity Statement on Sentence<div align="center" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
"Scottish justice has notched up another political miscarriage of justice alongside that of Al Megrahi and Muir of Huntershill”</span></span></i></div><div align="center" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Ian Hamilton QC</span></i></b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div align="center" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solidarity condemns as barbaric and draconian the sentence imposed today on Tommy Sheridan.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">We believe the lengthy jail term imposed by the judge is vindictive. It will reinforce the widespread view that this is the culmination of a brutal vendetta carried out by the rich and powerful against Scotland ’ most prominent socialist. A socialist who has earned their hatred for his uncompromising defence of working class people for the last 25 years.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">As such this sentence will be met with anger by tens of thousands of working class people across Scotland and beyond. Solidarity shares that anger.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">At a time when Britain ’s rich bankers are raking in billions in bonuses while working class communities and trade unionists are facing the most savage attacks in generations, the millions of pounds spent on the persecution of Tommy Sheridan is a disgrace.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solidarity regards as outrageous the continued cover-up of News International and the News of the World’s illegal activities by the police and the legal establishment. What a contrast to the lengths that Lothian and Borders police and the Scottish Crown have been prepared to go to try to ruin a working class socialist. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">They will not succeed. Solidarity appeals to all those angered today by this action to join us today and help us build a socialist party worthy of the name. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Solidarity will continue to give our full support and backing to Tommy and in particular to Gail Sheridan and the family at this difficult time.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We also send out this guarantee today. Neither Tommy Sheridan nor Solidarity will be broken. We will continue to build our party, offering a real alternative to the despair and brutality offered up by the ConDem government and the other parties of the rich and big business.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">We stand, as always, in Solidarity. </span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-83361503997114254632011-01-26T12:34:00.007+00:002011-01-26T12:51:02.002+00:00Tommy Sheridan sentenced to Three Years in Prison<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNynR0CePCUCWEFAwYyhjbWwbYs32OWlMl-jubtA2wlI7r2kc8hqJUgHJwYOIiR_jU8DojjjwQx0eckFUejf70C4xt8C_YwG0Tzse4ERUUC_Zsfm_y5Y0nq25_dp3FqpY4tYY8tLwCkMHk/s1600/_45379558_lordbracadale_226170+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNynR0CePCUCWEFAwYyhjbWwbYs32OWlMl-jubtA2wlI7r2kc8hqJUgHJwYOIiR_jU8DojjjwQx0eckFUejf70C4xt8C_YwG0Tzse4ERUUC_Zsfm_y5Y0nq25_dp3FqpY4tYY8tLwCkMHk/s1600/_45379558_lordbracadale_226170+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lord Bracdale</td></tr>
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</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After hearing Tommy Sheridan's plea in mitigation, about which a full report will be posted later today, the presiding judge Lord Bracadale sentenced Mr Sheridan to three years in prison. </span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lord Bracadale stated that Mr Sheridan was a "highly effective and hard working politician" and that he had "supported individuals in the community both in parliament and in the street," However the judge added that by pursuing a defamation action against the News of the World Mr Sheridan had "brought the walls of the temple crashing down not only on your own head but also on the heads of your family and your political friends alike."</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can read Lord Bracadale's full statement <a href="http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/8/709/HMA-v-THOMAS-SHERIDAN">Here</a></span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More to follow.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-60357086102393693982011-01-25T19:08:00.001+00:002011-01-25T19:14:37.001+00:00Sentencing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ekcxn3Ot6fZn7e5N63dF3cBENGEHXW8qM0yQDEQ8F_mSAxUli1nE42dEIyzI7t04Sc14JCT3sCktZSEe-_SGjTfHW5HHL4YCmxAXWRBYhh6rNfeg83eQFe89XHF7zGpLQqR_7Xvceyb/s1600/202687-tommy-sheridan-resumes-at-high-court-in-glasgow-410x230+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ekcxn3Ot6fZn7e5N63dF3cBENGEHXW8qM0yQDEQ8F_mSAxUli1nE42dEIyzI7t04Sc14JCT3sCktZSEe-_SGjTfHW5HHL4YCmxAXWRBYhh6rNfeg83eQFe89XHF7zGpLQqR_7Xvceyb/s320/202687-tommy-sheridan-resumes-at-high-court-in-glasgow-410x230+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow morning, 26 January 2011, will see the trial of Her Majesty's Advocate v Thomas Sheridan reconvene for sentencing after the jury returned a <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/tommy-sheridan-found-guilty-of-perjury.html">majority verdict of guilty</a> against Mr Sheridan on the 23rd December last year. Mr Sheridan will deliver a plea in mitigation before we hear the sentence and the judge's statement. Lord Bracadale has advised Mr Sheridan to expect to be sent to prison.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we have a great deal of preparation to do before tomorrow we will be closing comments until after the conclusion of tomorrow's proceedings. </span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-82514992957666938292011-01-24T13:27:00.012+00:002011-01-24T21:27:13.998+00:00Operation Caryatid<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the resignation of Andrew Coulson over alleged "phone hacking" at the News of the World during his editorship of the paper, political and media attention is now turning to the Metropolitan Police investigation of the case ( for example see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/23/phone-hacking-scandal-scotland-yard">Here</a> )</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the trial of Tommy Sheridan, the High Court of Glasgow heard testimony from the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Senior Investigating Officer on the inquiry, Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Williams. Given the interest in this issue we thought readers would be interested in a summary of DCS Williams' evidence in response to questions from Mr Sheridan, who was representing himself</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For background Mr Sheridan was exploring the issue as his name and details had been found in a notebook belonging to Glen Mulcaire, who was later convicted for illegally accessing voicemails,. Mr Mulcaire was later cited as a witness in the case but was excused due to illness.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Detective Chief Superintendent<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> </span> Williams told the court that Operation Caryatid, the police code name for the inquiry, was launched after a complaint </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> had been received from the "Royal Household" in December 2005. Despite a long investigation however the </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">only evidence that "reached the level of proof" was that there was only "one victim" who DCS Williams named as James Pinkerton, a "private secretary in the Royal Household."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DCS Williams was then asked if he he knew of </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">any involvement in the offence beyond Glen Mulcaire (a private investigator) and Clive Goodman (the Royal editor of the News of the World) He stated he was "not aware" of any.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Asked about </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Mr Mulcaire's relationship with the News of the World, DCS Williams replied "he was paid by them, that's all I know"</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">DCS Williams denied a suggestion that he had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"taken direction on who to focus on" during the investigation from the Crown Prosecution Service, but had taken advice from them due to the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"complexity of the law" in this area.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">DCS Williams agreed that 2978 telephone numbers had been recovered from Mr Mulcaire's notebooks but told the court "t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">he mere presence of a name and address does not mean anything unlawful has gone on." adding that this had </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">also been the view of the Crown Prosecution Service when they had reviewed the case last year. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The witness confirmed that the police investigation had recovered the contract between Mr Mulcaire and the News of the World, and when asked if this</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> "was worth </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">£105,000 per annum" replied that this "sounds like the right amount." Asked if the contract had been signed on behalf of the News of the World by Greg Miskiw responded </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"that sounds right" </span></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">DCS Williams confirmed that the inquiry had not questioned Mr Miskiw as he believed he "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">would have no legal basis to arrest or interview" him. The investigating officers also did not question Andrew Coulson, then editor of the News of the World. DCS Williams also told the court that Mr Goodman had "refused to answer" any questions from the police. The inquiry had also asked solicitors for the </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">News of the World for any relevant information but were told this could not be provided as "they did not have it." </span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">DCS Williams had not sought a "court order" as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> the News of the World had cooperated he was "not entitled to get a court order." Asked if the solicitors for the News of the World had had been cooperative, DCS Williams replied he had "no reason to think otherwise </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">and had been advised by a Queens Council and the Crown Prosecution Service over the process he had followed. The witness added that </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">he had asked questions of the News of the World's solicitors and had been told that no relevant documents existed. DCS Williams told the court that he had "no reason to doubt the solicitors." </span></span></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">DCS Williams concluded his testimony by stating that he had found "no evidence of a conspiracy at the News of the World." at denied a suggestions that he had treated the newspaper or it's executives with "kid gloves."</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Our full reports on DCS Williams' testimony can be found <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/detective-chief-inspector-phil-williams.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/detective-chief-superintendent-phil.html">Here</a></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-4437172410430701222011-01-23T14:27:00.002+00:002011-01-24T14:12:09.228+00:00Scottish Newspaper Roundup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOI7d5i93i4RxbeAHFlo3DvoZap9n7Gi_20LxOcLEqQoK1OEsikuY0HL-BphtVp0ZyHLFQvoZjGUExTJBBrKxPR62G7BDSdFah5Y8rD55rJDBckfLoZAPbpJsl3zL-PAcFN6s5rW8MM-G/s1600/_49053886_newspaperfronts226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOI7d5i93i4RxbeAHFlo3DvoZap9n7Gi_20LxOcLEqQoK1OEsikuY0HL-BphtVp0ZyHLFQvoZjGUExTJBBrKxPR62G7BDSdFah5Y8rD55rJDBckfLoZAPbpJsl3zL-PAcFN6s5rW8MM-G/s1600/_49053886_newspaperfronts226.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As many of our readers are not in Scotland I thought it would be useful to round up some articles from the Scottish press relating the trial that have appeared this weekend.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Daily Record has this story, <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics-news/2011/01/23/tommy-sheridan-trial-provoked-resignation-of-top-spin-doctor-andy-coulson-86908-22869915/?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d3c095e969eb809,0">"Tommy Sheridan trial provoked resignation of top spin doctor Andy Coulson"</a> Which quotes an "insider"as saying of Andy Coulson's resignation "having to give evidence at the Sheridan trial was the tipping point for Coulson, adding </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He had to take a week off before Christmas to prepare and give evidence in the Tommy Sheridan trial and was then being filmed and photographed arriving and leaving the court. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was right at the centre of the story instead of trying to manage it and he knew then that he had to go."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Scotsman has a similar piece, "<a href="http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Coulson-quits-Sheridan-helped-bring.6698814.jp">Sheridan helped bring down No10 spin doctor</a> and it's Sunday stablemate Scotland on Sunday has a fine analysis piece "<a href="http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Sheridan-Will-he-be-a.6699394.jp">Sheridan: Will he be a hero behind bars?</a> which discusses possible sentences in the case and the prison system Mr Sheridan faces entering this Wednesday. Last weekend Scotland on Sunday ran a long interview with Rosie Kane, the former MSP and friend of Mr Sheridan who testified against him during the trial, that can be found <a href="http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/features/Interview-Rosie-Kane-former-socialist.6693504.jp">Here</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally The Sunday Herald has a story by Paul Hutcheon, "<a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/doubt-over-gail-sheridan-s-candidacy-1.1081339">Doubt over Gail Sheridan’s candidacy</a>" which states that paper " has learned Sheridan has told friends that his wife will not be a Solidarity candidate. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One close associate said: “Tommy is saying that Gail cannot cope with the fact that he is going to jail, and that she won’t be standing. She’s in no fit state.”</span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-92010641477148904562011-01-21T16:56:00.005+00:002011-01-21T17:18:11.527+00:00Andy Coulson's Testimony, Key Points<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHyPJ8oJjWXy_bgfmCKFKazFX11XjtbZjTDABMYjd9NxmzTJO82My0ZgY0PVuefysRbq8E1BlYRW1EL70VacvTKH8gTj663Bc9_PyBsk-fGUxrTVFa3HCLxqgURDqnmfzRrcEHCge8iAN/s1600/Coulson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHyPJ8oJjWXy_bgfmCKFKazFX11XjtbZjTDABMYjd9NxmzTJO82My0ZgY0PVuefysRbq8E1BlYRW1EL70VacvTKH8gTj663Bc9_PyBsk-fGUxrTVFa3HCLxqgURDqnmfzRrcEHCge8iAN/s320/Coulson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the light of today's news of Andy Coulson's resignation (see <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2011/01/andrew-coulson-resigns.html">Here</a> ) We thought that readers might like to read an summary of Mr Coulson's answers to some of the key questions put to him during the Sheridan trial about his knowledge of "phone hacking" during his time as editor of the News of the World.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>On his resignation as editor of the News of the World</b></u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Mr Coulson told the court that he had left after one reporter on the paper was convicted of a crime and he had "taken the ultimate responsibility and stepped down." Asked what this crime was the witness stated that it involved "illegal phone hacking" and that he had "no knowledge of it."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Glenn Mulcaire (convicted of phone Hacking)</span></u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Mr Coulson told the court that he had never had any contact with Mr Mulcaire and had not even known his name until Mr Mulcaire had been arrested. Mr Coulson aslo told the court that he had been aware that Mr Mulcaire's company, "Nine Consultancy" had been used by the NotW as the witness had once asked a head of a department to reduce the money the paper was paying the company. He insisted however that this was his only knowledge of Nine consultancy and that, in relation to Mr Mulcaire, " I never met him, spoke to him or emailed him."</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">It was then suggested that the News of the World had paid Nine Consultancy around <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">£105,000 per annum. </span>Mr Coulson that it was "about that" but added that this was for what he called "legitimate work" adding that the judge in the "Goodman case" had accepted this. Mr Sheridan asked about other payments made to Mr Mulcaire, the witness told the court that there were other payments but these had happened "without my knowledge" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Mr Sheridan then put it to the witness that, as the NotW was paying Nine Consultancy <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">£</span>105,000 a year he should have known more about the company than he appeared to </span>Mr Coulson answered that the NoTW had a large budget (around <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">£</span>35 million per annum) and paid out large sums of money to journalists and for stories</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Sheridan then produced into evidence a copy of a page from a notebook, that the court has previously heard was seized by police on a raid on the home of private investigator, and convicted phone hacker, Glenn Mulcaire. This shows Mr Sheridan's name, address, telephone number and what appear to be "PIN" numbers for accessing mobile phone voicemails. There is also a date on the notebook, 14/09/04. Mr Coulson denied that he had any knowledge of this or that the News of the World in London and instructed Glenn Mulcaire to "hack" Mr Sheridan's phone. Mr Sheridan put it to the witness that Mr Mulcaire had an "exclusive contract" with the NotW but again Mr Coulson denied any knowledge of the matter.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Whitamore</span></u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Mr Sheridan put it to the witness that another private investigator involved in phone hacking, Steve Whitamore, had a "blue book" which listed journalists who used his ser vices and that it listed Twenty one NotW journalists, over half of his news staff. Mr Coulson replied that a long list of newspapers and other media outlets had used Mr Whitamore for legitimate services and the NotW journalists he listed may not have been full-time reporters but perhaps freelancers and contractors. Mr Coulson also told the court that he had never had any dealings with Mr Whitamore. or asked anyone else to deal with him. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Mr Coulson said he did not know the specifics on individual journalists and indeed had not thought about the issue for "quite some time." Mr Coulson then challenged Mr Sheridan's figure of 21 journalists which he called "not right" although when asked for a specific number he stated that he did not know. Mr Sheridan asked Mr Coulson if Steve Whittamore had been used by the News of the World "while you were boss" The witness again said he did not know. Mr Sheridan then said that Steve Whittamore had been convicted in 2005 and this had happened "under your watch" Mr Coulson said he had not been involved with Mr Whittamore "in any way, shape or form" and added "in relation to you Mr Sheridan there was nothing untoward." Mr Coulson also stated that Mr Whitamore's services were used "across the industry, including the Guardian group." </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relations with the police</span></u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Asked about the NotW's relationship with the police, Mr Coulson said that it could be "difficult" however the NotW exposed "wrongdoing and criminality" and sometimes worked with the police on that. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Asked if the witness was familiar with an Andy Hayman. Mr Coulson told the court that Andy Hayman had been the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan police and sometimes wrote for the Times. Mr Sheridan asked if Mr Hayman had been in charge of the investigation into "phone hacking at the News of the World" the witness replied "he may have been" </span></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Coulson told the court he once had a meal with Mr Hayman but their relationship was "entirely proper" and he thought that "every editor on Fleet Street" had done the same. Mr Sheridan asked if the NotW held any information on Mr Hayman that could have been used to intimidate him into not carrying out a proper investigation. Mr Coulson denied the NotW held any personal information on Mr Hayman</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mr Coulson if he was aware that at the time of the investigation into alleged phone hacking at the News of the World Mr Hayman had resigned from the police force, the witness replied "he may have" Mr Sheridan then asked Mr Coulson if he was aware of what Mr Hayman was doing now. The witness replied that Mr Hayman "writes occasional pieces for the Times," which he agreed was part of the same newspaper group as the News of the World. Mr Sheridan then asked "The former police officer who investigated the News of the World got a job with News International?" Mr Coulson replied :"if you are insinuating there was a deal, there was none." Mr Sheridan responded "just answer the question, he got a job with News International" to which the witness replied "Yes, but first I don't know if he has a job or is a freelance and second it happened long after I left so I can't help you." Mr Sheridan put it to the witness that this "stinks of corruption" Mr Coulson replied "I absolutely disagree Mr Sheridan" </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><u><br />
</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b><u>A culture of hacking?</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">asked about a House of Commons committee report which had claimed that the NotW "turned a blind eye" and "at worst actively condoned" bugging and hacking in the newsroom. Coulson replied: "I don't accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the NoW. There was a very unfortunate, to put it mildly, case involving Clive Goodman. No one was more sorry about it than me; that's why I resigned."</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-34153717489339995632011-01-21T12:51:00.006+00:002011-01-21T14:44:20.223+00:00Andrew Coulson Resigns<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRUCUvpbUgyXiif3pPwLMDQGLPwNQoMkeuxTgNrcYgVk8Ly3hHZvT2ZJ5wR6xwl_GW6TcgGD02PE4RepHDQ92iIKMAkZ30ykuqQo-8TzqeLZ804iJsNxxY13yqGtJ3Q91wo9eZ_K7rIos/s1600/Andy-Coulson-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRUCUvpbUgyXiif3pPwLMDQGLPwNQoMkeuxTgNrcYgVk8Ly3hHZvT2ZJ5wR6xwl_GW6TcgGD02PE4RepHDQ92iIKMAkZ30ykuqQo-8TzqeLZ804iJsNxxY13yqGtJ3Q91wo9eZ_K7rIos/s320/Andy-Coulson-007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy Coulson outside Glasgow High Court <br />
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Andy Coulson, a witness in the trial of HMA vs Gail and Thomas Sheridan has resigned from his role as Director of Communications at 10 Downing street. In his <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/21/andy-coulson-phone-hacking-statement#block-10">statement</a> he gives the reason for stepping down as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>Unfortunately, continued coverage of events connected to my old job at the News of the World has made it difficult for me to give the 110% needed in this role.</i></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As regular readers will be aware Mr Coulson was called by the defence to answer allegations that a private investigator, Greg Mulcaire, hacked into Mr Sheridan's telephone answering service in 2006, the evidence for this being a notebook belonging to Mr Mulcaire which contained Mr Sheridan's personal details including his mobile telephone number and what appeared to be a "PIN" number used to access voicemail. Mr Coulson denied any knowledge of this or of the defence's contention that Mr Mulcaire had an "exclusive contract" with the News of the World while Mr Coulson was the newspaper's editor.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Mr Sheridan's lawyer </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aamer Anwar, has now issued a statement</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">“At the trial of Tommy Sheridan, Mr Coulson gave evidence under oath</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">that he had no knowledge of phone hacking despite Glen Mulcaire having</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Mr Sheridan’s mobile phone number and personal details. His evidence</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">should now be re-examined by the authorities.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">His resignation will not make this go away, members of the public</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">should not have to take legal action to get to the truth.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">It is time for an independent Judicial Inquiry into the role of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Coulson and News International as the conduct of the Metropolitan</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Police investigation has been unacceptable.”</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our full reports in Mr Coulson's testimony at the trial can be found below.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/andrew-coulson-part-1.html">Part 1</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/andrew-coulson-day-2-pt-1.html">Part 2</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/andrew-coulson-day-2-conclusion.html">Part 3</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update 2.37pm</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ian Edmondson, a News of the World journalist who was suspended last week due to allegations of phone hacking, has has his solicitor issue a "notice to broadcasters/editors." This states that any suggestion that Andy Coulson resigned as Mr Edmondson "was about to turn Coulson in" would be "false and defamatory." You can see a copy of that statement </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://yfrog.com/h3b23raj">Here</a></span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-500792161594913167.post-45856811122312469652011-01-20T10:05:00.005+00:002011-01-24T14:12:46.063+00:00Tommy and Gail Sheridan to "Sue Police"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcumKPW_laUT8Mcwd7lWGjI1wPCefYFaXk_fOsGYXGJ7VgbddRkTWVKeV0QxN_5I08NflY9vtb9vZ6Rfjmz0364H2xeCDaz5p3VlQAJki3DkpAR6xLxf8JxpeQUqkDsY03ELZA6Dl1jDBx/s1600/lothianlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcumKPW_laUT8Mcwd7lWGjI1wPCefYFaXk_fOsGYXGJ7VgbddRkTWVKeV0QxN_5I08NflY9vtb9vZ6Rfjmz0364H2xeCDaz5p3VlQAJki3DkpAR6xLxf8JxpeQUqkDsY03ELZA6Dl1jDBx/s200/lothianlogo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Scottish Daily Record and the Scottish Herald are reporting this morning that lawyers for Gail and Tommy Sheridan have written to Lothian and Borders Chief Constable David Strang and Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, to lodge formal complaints over the broadcast of footage of their police interviews by the BBC. There is also to be a complaint to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over BBC's transmit ion of the video.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A separate complaint from Mrs Sheridan relates to the conduct of her police interview where a set of rosary beads were removed from her possession and also that, her lawyers state, "she was subjected to certain questioning because she was a Roman Catholic." Mrs Sheridan has also claimed that a charge of theft brought against her after a police raid in her home was malicious.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The letters, which will be delivered this morning, conclude "We are instructed to consider legal proceedings against L&B Police and should an adequate and transparent investigation not take place into the allegations, shall proceed to do so."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Herald story can be found <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/exclusive-gail-sheridan-accuses-police-of-religious-persecution-1.1080813">Here</a> The Daily Record report is <a href="http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/01/20/tommy-and-gail-sheridan-set-to-sue-cops-over-arrest-treatment-86908-22861669/">Here</a> and a legal analysis from "The Drum" can be found <a href="http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/01/20/17827-analysis-of-gail-sheridan-complaint-over-police-leaking-of-tapes-to-bbc-/">Here</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Readers may also find The testimony of DS Harkness of Lothian and Borders Police, who conducted the interview with Gail Sheridan of interest, our report on that can be found <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/2010/12/detective-sergeant-harkness-pt-2.html">Here</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com41