Former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan was facing jail last night after he was found guilty of lying about an affair and sex club trip during his defamation case against the News of the World.
The ex-member of the Scottish Parliament was convicted of perjury following a 12-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The guilty verdict brought to an end a six-year drama sparked by the tabloid’s article about an unnamed politician who visited swingers’ clubs.
He was awarded £200,000 in 2006 after a successful defamation case against the Sunday newspaper, but he found himself in the dock in October when witnesses and others accused him of lying in the civil trial.
The jury took about 6½ hours to convict Sheridan of five of the six allegations against him. His wife Gail was acquitted of the same charge of perjury last week.
The father of one remained silent as the guilty verdict was returned and judge Lord Bracadale told him he faced a jail term when he returns to the court for sentencing on January 26th.
Sheridan had claimed he was the victim of a “vendetta” by the police and a “conspiracy” involving the News of the World and colleagues within the SSP who he said made claims against him as part of a “political civil war”.
He denied telling a party meeting on November 9th, 2004, that he was the MSP named in the newspaper article and that he had attended Cupid’s in Manchester on two occasions.
But 16 of his former allies went into the witness box to say he did make the admission, while blaming a “weakness” and “flaw” in his character.
A statement from the SSP last night said: “All his closest friends and political allies of 20 years urged him not to take such a reckless course of action.
“He will now be dealt with by the judge. We have no desire for vengeance. What is more important is that all those who have been falsely denounced by him and his allies as liars, plotters, perjurers and forgers have been cleared.
“By his actions over six years, Tommy Sheridan has disgraced himself and negated his political contribution to the socialist cause over 25 years. History will now record that he did more harm to the socialist cause in Scotland than any good he ever did it.”
Sheridan was also found guilty of a six-year relationship with SSP colleague Katrine Trolle. But last night a stoic Gail Sheridan vowed to stand by her husband.