Five key witnesses including wife charged
Five witnesses who gave evidence for former Scottish Socialist party leader Tommy Sheridan in his libel victory against the News of the World in August 2006 have been charged with perjury.
The MSP’s wife Gail and his father in law, Gus Healy were charged with perjury on 19 February following questioning by police. Three other witnesses had been charged previously. They are Rosemary Byrne, 59, Jock Penman, 58, and Graeme McIver, 39. All are friends of Mr Sheridan who gave evidence for him in his action against the newspaper after it claimed that he had cheated on his wife and taken in part in drink and drug-fuelled orgies. A jury found in Mr Sheridan’s favour and awarded him £200,000 in damages.
Mr Sheridan himself was arrested for the same offence in December. A spokesman for Solidarity said the arrests were “a political witch-hunt.”
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