Thursday, December 9, 2010

Former SSP MSP Rosemary Byrne tells High Court in Sheridan Case of the “kangaroo court” atmosphere of SSP executive committee meeting













Dear All

The snow is clearing and hit trial of Tommy Sheridan rolls on with a certain pace.

Former MSP Rosemary Byrne took the stand to declare to the world that Tommy Sheridan did not admit to visiting a sex club.

She says that the executive committee of the party on November 9, 2004 was a bit on the “hysterical” side.

And she opines that her former comrades who said otherwise were wrong.

So many people including former MSP have testified that Sheridan did say he was at the sex club.

Byrne joins SSP member John Penman who testified he didn’t.

That makes it 15 against 3 so far.

Spilt of course down the lines of pro Sheridan and anti Sheridan!

Sheridan asked about the meeting.

Byrne said:

“The meeting was about allegations ... about yourself”.

She added:

“I found myself sitting in a room crammed with people, not enough space. It was a hysterical meeting, a very unpleasant experience. You denied that you had attended a sex club. You said that the allegations that were floating around were untrue. The only thing that you did say was that you had had an affair with Anvar Khan after you had come out of prison. I can’t remember the dates, it was way back, before you were married.”

Sheridan asked the witness:

“Are you absolutely sure about your recollection?”

Byrne replied: “Absolutely positive.”

Then Byrne paints the context of the meeting in not so glowing terms when she describes it as a “kangaroo court” with a lot of “very emotive things” said after Sheridan left.

Up next to salvage his career Advocate Depute Alex Prentice QC asked the witness if the mood of the meeting was one of joy because Sheridan had denied the allegations.

Byrne replied:

“No. I have described it as a kangaroo court. A group of people met prior to that meeting and had already found him guilty and were determined that no matter what Tommy said he was guilty ... They were jealous that Tommy’s profile was so huge. I am sorry, but there was no joy.”

So there you have it, no joy at the SSP but it seems that there is plenty of time for shagging?

How does that work?

Prentice continued:

“We have a situation where there is a story of an unnamed MSP. Tommy Sheridan denied it ... yet there was a unanimous vote that he should resign?”

Rod and line out fishing!

Byrne said:

“All I can say is that I didn’t hear Tommy say he had been at a sex club.”

Then Prentice presented to the Court a copy of an email sent from Sheridan to Ms Byrne on May 15, 2006.

That email contained a motion passed by the Cardonald branch of the SSP, which the court has heard included the Sheridans as members, to “destroy” any minutes of the November 9, 2004, meeting that were in existence.

This leads to asking the question if Sheridan had denied it at the meeting, why destroy the minutes?

Surely, he would have wanted them available to everyone and his brother?

Such a thing creates doubt in the mind of the jury, so in the grand scheme of things Rosemary Byrne has done her bit which puts some pluses in the Sheridan column and the email puts some negatives over the other side.

The ‘War on Sheridan’ continues down at the High Court in Glasgow, if you can’t afford Panto tickets then pop along.

Tommy Sheridan is playing the lead role of the hero, Alex Prentice is the wicked Prince, Lord Bracadale is the narrator, Gail Sheridan is Cinderella and the SSP are the wicked stepmothers.

The trial continues.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

2 comments:

  1. Byrne was pretty awful. Surprised Prentice didn't mention she has also been charged with perjury.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They're having a hoot.

    ReplyDelete