Tommy Sheridan set to be released

Jan 30 2012

Convicted former MSP Tommy Sheridan is due to be freed from prison, after serving just over a year of his three-year sentence for lying under oath.

The 47-year-old was jailed on January 26 last year for committing perjury during his successful defamation action against the News of the World in 2006.

He was awarded £200,000 in damages after winning the civil case, but a jury at the High Court in Glasgow found him guilty of lying about the now-defunct tabloid's claims that he was an adulterer who visited a swingers' club.

Trial judge Lord Bracadale subsequently handed the former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) a three-year jail sentence, telling him his decision to pursue the Sunday tabloid for defamation "brought the walls of the temple crashing down" on him.

Sheridan is to be released from Castle Huntly open prison.

A statement is expected to be issued after he is reunited with his family.

At the weekend, Sheridan's lawyer Aamer Anwar said he had been told that prison authorities would try to "gag" him on his release. Mr Anwar promised to seek a judicial review if a public speaking ban features in Sheridan's release conditions.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr Anwar said: "I was aware that this was being imposed. It's unprecedented, absolutely draconian and denies my client the right to earn a living."

Any prisoner serving a sentence of less than four years is currently eligible for automatic early release at the halfway point in their jail term. Sheridan would therefore be entitled to be freed from prison after 18 months.

However, under current provisions, it is possible for individuals to spend up to the last six months of their sentence on home detention curfew (HDC). This means that they can be freed from prison to live at home but must wear an electronically monitored tag for the remainder of their sentence.