Former MSP Tommy Sheridan will not be given leave to appeal his perjury conviction, the Scottish Courts Service confirmed today.
Sheridan was jailed for three years in January for lying under oath during his successful defamation action against the News of the World in 2006.
The now defunct tabloid printed allegations about his private life, which included that he visited a swingers’ club and cheated on his wife.
He was awarded £200,000 in damages after winning his defamation case against the newspaper at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, but ended up being convicted of perjury by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow.
Sheridan has maintained his innocence, claiming he was the victim of a “vendetta” by the police and a “conspiracy” involving the News of the World and colleagues within the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP).
Following his conviction, his lawyer lodged an appeal on the grounds that Sheridan had been denied a fair trial because of the amount of publicity generated before it got under way. But the Scottish Courts Service confirmed today the latest stage of Sheridan’s appeal was rejected on 2 August.
A spokesman said Lady Paton, Lord Hardie and Lord Emslie had found the case was “not arguable”.
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