Tommy Sheridan jailing: Political vendetta ends in draconian sentence

Tommy Sheridan in 2007

SCOTTISH SOCIALIST Tommy Sheridan was jailed for three years on 26 January having being found guilty on charges of perjury. This follows the longest and most expensive perjury trial in Scottish legal history. The unprecedented political vendetta and this draconian sentence will provoke anger and disappointment among many thousands of working-class people across Scotland.

The class nature of the prosecution and jail sentence was illustrated by the £4 million spent by the police and the Scottish Crown to secure this verdict.

This prosecution has only been achieved through an unholy alliance of the might of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News International, the capitalist legal establishment, the police and the leadership of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP).

Many will contrast the treatment of Tommy Sheridan with the way that the prosecutors and the police have allowed Andy Coulson and the News of the World to, so far, avoid charges over widespread illegal phone hacking.

Without the actions of the SSP leadership, a successful prosecution of Tommy Sheridan would not have been possible. It is to their eternal disgrace that they were prepared to collaborate with and encourage the vendetta against Tommy Sheridan.

After the sentence was passed it was announced that Tommy Sheridan will be appealing the conviction and also taking legal action against the News of the World, the Metropolitan police and Glenn Mulcaire over the hacking of his phone.

Gail Sheridan, Tommy's partner, said: "Tommy has dedicated his life to helping others. The real reason why he's been imprisoned today is because he has fought injustice and inequality with every beat of his heart."