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August 17, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 8:40pm

Scottish NoW challenges Sheridan to lie test

By Press Gazette

The Scottish News of The World has challenged Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan to take a lie detector test.

The challenge came on the front page and an inside spread in which the paper reported that three of its main witnesses against Sheridan in the five-week defamation trial had passed lie detector tests on vital aspects of the evidence they had given against the MSP.

Three other women witnesses are said to be also willing to undergo polygraphs, claimed the paper.

On Friday, the newspaper formally lodged its appeal against Sheridan being awarded £200,000 by a jury in his defamation action over its allegations that the MSP cheated on his wife, took part in orgies, and visited a swingers' club.

The appeal was lodged at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Both parties involved may now have to wait up to a year to hear the outcome.

The Scottish News of The World challenged the MSP to take the test after it reported how last week three of its major witnesses — News of The World columnist Anvar Khan, Ann Colvin and Helen Allison — had passed such tests conducted by an independent polygraph expert.

All three women were accused by Sheridan in court of perjury and conspiring against him.

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The Scottish News of The World quoted Jeremy Barrett, whom it said was "the UK's top polygraph expert", as saying: "Based on the results of the tests, I believe they are all telling the truth."

The Scottish News of The World said that in its appeal against the verdict "we will argue that the decision of the jury flew in the face of the weight of the evidence heard in the court".

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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