Sheridan faces jail sentence after lying in court about sex club trip

The ex-Member of the Scottish Parliament was convicted of perjury yesterday 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 newspaper's article about an unnamed politician who visited swingers' clubs.

He was awarded 200,000 in 2006 after launching 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 around six-and-a-half 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 26.

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 9, 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.

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. Standing outside the High Court in Glasgow, she said: "Our family and our real friends, our real friends, have stood by us. I have and will always stand by Tommy."

In a statement read outside the court by his solicitor, Sheridan said: "I have fought the power of News International all my political life and I make no apologies for taking on the might of Rupert Murdoch."

The News of the World said it was pleased justice had been done.