Sheridan offers to strip before jury

Last updated at 18:42 02 August 2006

Tommy Sheridan told jurors today that his life and reputation are on the line when they retire to consider their verdict in his £200,000 defamation action against the News Of The World.

The former Scottish Socialist Party leader offered to strip in court to prove his wife's evidence that he has excessive body hair, a distinguishing feature not mentioned by any of the women who said they had slept with him.

And he repeatedly said he would be an "idiot" if he had cheated on his wife, visited swinger sex clubs and participated in orgies.

Close to tears

Mr Sheridan was close to tears on several occasions during the 85-minute speech in which he branded the paper "liars and hypocrites".

The Glasgow MSP also told a packed court six at the Court of Session in Edinburgh that the life of his unborn baby was put at risk by the newspaper's claims, in November 2004, that he had a four-year affair with former prostitute Fiona McGuire.

The politician told the six men and five women on the jury that he could not bring himself to hate or despise her as she was also a victim in the case, which has now run for 21 days.

At the start of his speech, Mr Sheridan, who is representing himself, told the jury he was not a legal practitioner but rather a socialist politician with a "reputation for honesty, integrity and hard work".

Mr Sheridan said he was going head-to-head today with Michael Jones QC, for the newspaper, whom he described as one of the best advocates in Scotland.

But he added: "To Mr Jones, this is just another job.

"To me, it's my life and reputation that is on the line."

Recapping on the sensational evidence, Mr Sheridan said: "From three in a bed to four in a bed.

From champagne to cocaine

"From four in a bed to five in a bed. From five in a bed to sex clubs. From sex clubs to champagne. From champagne to cocaine. From cocaine to orgies in a hotel slap bang in the middle of Glasgow.

"The allegations in the course of this case have been as numerous as grains of sand in the Sahara Desert but evidence, but real tangible, substantial evidence, has been conspicuous by its absence."

The MSP rubbished claims that he had sexual relationships with Ms McGuire, former SSP candidate Katrine Trolle, and, while he was married, with News Of The World journalist Anvar Khan.

He also dismissed the "dodgy minute" of the party's emergency executive committee meeting of November 9 2004, at which some members, including three MSPs, said he had admitted attending a swingers club.

No smoking gun

Mr Sheridan told the jury: "The case against me on behalf of the News Of The World has not produced a single smoking gun but it has featured plenty of smoke and mirrors."

Mr Sheridan offered to strip in court to prove his wife's evidence that he has excessive body hair, a distinguishing feature not mentioned by any of the women who said they had slept with him.

The public gallery erupted with laughter as the MSP recalled his wife's testimony that he was "like a hairy ape".

He told the court: "I do have excessive hair on my chest, my legs and, unfortunately, my back.

"That is what gives me an ape-like appearance on the beach, on holiday.

"I have never been waxed in my life. The men in the jury will understand why - it is too painful."

The former SSP leader vowed he was prepared to act if doubt was cast over his wife's evidence.

Mr Sheridan said: "If that is challenged, let's have a de-robing.

"Let's prove that particular characteristic, which I think is very important.

"If Fiona McGuire was rubbing ice cubes around my body she would have ended up with a hairball."

During his speech the MSP referred to Ms McGuire as the main witness in the case against him.

The court previously heard the former escort girl was paid £20,000 for her story, published on November 14 2004, that she had a four-year affair with Mr Sheridan which included group sex.

Pack of lies

The politician said: "She co-operated in some way with a story that was a pack of lies.

"My wife might not appreciate this but I cannot bring myself to hate her.

"I cannot bring myself to despise her.

"I will never forgive her for the lies she has told but I think she is also a victim in this whole sordid affair."

Mr Sheridan told the jury the News of the World story featuring Fiona McGuire had been printed when his wife, Gail, was three months pregnant with the couple's first child.

The MSP said Mrs Sheridan, who was 40 at the time, had to deal with gangs of photographers, press inquiries and remarks by members of the public while she was shopping.

Mr Sheridan was critical of the time Mr Jones spent examining Ms McGuire in the witness box.

He said: "My baby's life was effectively put in danger by the core of the story from Fiona McGuire, and the News of the World put her in the stand for 29 minutes.

"That is what they thought of that story."

Mr Sheridan said the tabloid was only concerned about sales and not people's lives.

Mr Sheridan has conducted his case with composure but his anger and emotion surfaced a number of times during his closing speech.

He told the jury: "The charges are very serious.

"I am not accused of murder or violence but I am accused of violating the trust and the love of my wife and my family.

"Evidence of such a gross violation must be substantial.

"It cannot be circumstantial and circumspect."

The MSP, from Cardonald in Glasgow, said one of the most difficult aspects of the case was being apart from his baby daughter, Gabrielle.

Mr Sheridan also told the jury the case had featured another first for him.

He said: "I can never recall crying in public.

"I have got to say to you it is not easy, from the background that I come from, for a man to cry in public."

The politician said he was not embarrassed at losing his composure and said he could not help it.

But he added: "What you have to decide is if those tears were the tears of an honest man who is loving and faithful to his wife or the tears of a clown, the tears of a fraud, the tears of a complete and utter idiot."

The politician cast doubt over the accounts of Anvar Khan and Katrine Trolle of an alleged visit to Cupids, a swingers' club in Manchester.

Mr Sheridan said both witnesses were unclear over the date of the visit and the sexual encounters that allegedly happened there and in a Glasgow flat.

Wife's support

Closing his speech, the MSP said he would not have got through the case without the love and support of his wife.

He added: "The only hypocrites in this court are on the side of the News of the World.

"I ask you to find in my favour."

For the News of The World, Mr Jones, opening his speech, said: "What lies behind this is a truly monstrous ego, Mr Sheridan's ego."

Mr Jones told the jury he would put together the various pieces of the jigsaw which would prove Mr Sheridan was a hypocrite.

He gave the jurors a lengthy narrative of the evidence of some of Mr Sheridan's party colleagues, who said he had confessed to visiting a swingers' club on two occasions when he addressed the emergency executive committee meeting on November 9, 2004.

Mr Jones also suggested Mr Sheridan had been reckless in sacking his legal team on day nine of the case.

He told the jury such behaviour was also visible in the former SSP leader's private life.

He added: "History is littered with the political corpses of great men who have been brought down by their own recklessness."

Mr Jones will conclude his speech tomorrow.