Sheridan case former editor charged

A former editor of the News of the World Scotland has been arrested and charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice at the time of ex-MSP Tommy Sheridan's defamation action against the newspaper.

Bob Bird was detained in Glasgow on Wednesday morning by officers from Strathclyde Police.

He has since been released from custody and a report will now be prepared for prosecutors.

A force spokewoman said: "Officers from Operation Rubicon of Strathclyde Police arrested and charged a 56-year-old man with attempting to pervert the course of justice at the time of the defamation action of Thomas Sheridan versus News Groups Newspapers. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal in Glasgow. Proceedings are now active and it would be inappropriate for us to comment any further."

Mr Bird was held and questioned at Govan police station before being charged. It is thought he was detained at about 7.30am and arrested about four hours later. The charge centres around Sheridan's defamation action against the News of the World six years ago.

The former socialist MSP won his civil case against the Sunday tabloid at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in 2006. He was awarded £200,000 in damages after the paper printed claims about his private life.

Sheridan was jailed for three years in January 2011 after being found guilty of lying about the now-defunct tabloid's claims that he was an adulterer who visited a swingers' club.

That perjury trial, which lasted almost 12 weeks at the High Court in Glasgow, was one of the longest of its kind in Scottish legal history.

Sheridan was released from jail after serving one year of his sentence.

Mr Bird gave evidence at the 2006 hearing and the perjury trial.