Tommy Sheridan loses Supreme Court bid over perjury conviction

Tommy Sheridan won a defamation case against the News of the World in 2006 but was later found guilty of perjury

Former MSP Tommy Sheridan has lost a UK Supreme Court bid to appeal his 2010 perjury conviction.

Sheridan was jailed for three years for committing perjury during a civil action against the News of the World.

The ex-politician was awarded £200,000 in damages in 2006 over claims the now defunct tabloid made about his private life.

But the Supreme Court ruled his appeal against his perjury conviction "does not raise an arguable point of law".

Details of the decision, which marks the end of a series of legal cases dating back almost 14 years, were confirmed in a media update of determinations made in February and March.

'Lewd and immoral'

In August 2006 Sheridan famously compared his legal victory over the News of the World as the equivalent of football minnows Gretna beating European giants Real Madrid.

The paper, which published its final edition in July 2011, alleged he had carried out "lewd and immoral acts".

But in 2010 Sheridan was convicted of perjury following a 12-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He later appealed against his conviction but both bids, in March 2015 and June 2016, were refused by the High Court of Justiciary.

Interest award

The former Scottish Socialist Party leader challenged the first of those decisions by petition for judicial review.

But that was also turned down and the Inner House of the Court of Session dismissed his appeal.

That led to the UK Supreme Court appeal which was refused on Monday.

After Sheridan's conviction, the News of the World attempted to recover the money but a court ruled against it.

And in 2018, in yet another case, he was awarded a further £176,000 in interest.