Sheridan V News International
There was a controversial defamation case in 2006 between fellow SSP MSP Tommy Sheridan and the British tabloid newspaper The News Of The World, Sheridan v News International. Following this, Sheridan and Byrne split from the SSP, and formed a new socialist party which they named Solidarity. During the trial, in which Sheridan sued the News of the World for defamation and won, Byrne gave evidence supporting Sheridan. On 1 October 2006 the News of the World published fresh evidence which it claimed proved that their allegations were true and Sheridan had thus lied to the Court of Session during the trial. Sheridan was subsequently charged with and eventually found guilty of perjury.
Both Byrne and Sheridan are accused by the IWW of betraying workers by unilaterally removing funding from the collective body which employed parliamentary staff.
On 15 February 2008, Byrne was arrested on suspicion of perjury in relation to the Sheridan defamation trial. However the Crown Office said that the matter would not be taken further at the conclusion of the subsequent criminal trial.
In December 2009 she disclosed she was suffering from breast cancer.
Read more about this topic: Rosemary Byrne
Famous quotes containing the words sheridan and/or news:
““Here is the steed that saved the day,
By carrying Sheridan into the fight,
From Winchester, twenty miles away!””
—Thomas Buchanan Read (1822–1872)
“I have a piece of great and sad news to tell you: I am dead.”
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)