Tommy Sheridan and the lost emails

The fragrant Gail with her husband Tommy

I followed the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial; Tommy the former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party/Solidarity. The story has been widely reported – Tommy sued the News of the World (NOTW) for libel to do with a story alleging that Tommy was a 'swinger'; he won his case, but NOTW appealed as new evidence came to light (a video purporting to be Sheridan confessing to his former friend and Best man that he had been to a swingers club). The upshot of all this was that our Tommy, champion of the people, got done for perjury. He has now just started his sentence - 3 years in prison.

You would have thought that was that but no!

I have been also following the News International [NOTW] phone hacking scandal - it seems like the people who had their phone's hacked is a very long list.  Indeed rumour has it that many celebs feel a tad disappointed that they have not made the list! Tommy's number was in the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's notebook – he went to jail as well but for phone hacking. But NOTW did not find any evidence to suggest that Tommy's number was hacked. Maybe he just liked collecting peoples phone numbers. Hmmm.

As I have mentioned the Supreme Being, Rupert Murdoch is in town to try to knock some heads together as the phone hacking scandal is threatening the proposed buy out of BSKYB - News Corp owns 39.1% and Murdoch wants it all.  Well, it seems the clean up act has discovered a lot more information. People have got sacked and suspended and it is now a huge story. They have admitted that they have found 'missing' emails and these have been passed to the Met for them to reopen the investigation.

Whats this to do with Tommy Sheridan?

Tommy Sheridan may be in for a bit of good fortune. For those that followed the trial they might remember that Bob Bird guy from the NOTW; he was the person who stripped to his boxers to see the incriminating 'confession' video of Tommy Sheridan shot by his former best man. Bird was the editor of the Scottish edition of the NOTW.  Sheridan's best man was paid the not inconsiderable sum of £200k for the tape by the NOTW.  Andy Coulson personally authorised the payment.

For those that can mind back to the trial Bird was asked under oath about emails and other information surrounding the Sheridan expose - but he admitted to the court that the emails were 'lost' during an alleged cock-up when they were allegedly archived out to Mumbai - the data was lost somewhere in cyberspace. Hmmm.

It turns out that Mr Bird may be back in the dock himself as it has been admitted this week that what he said was simply not true. In fact, a complete lot of tosh - nothing was ever lost, and no data was ever archived offshore - all the information remained in-house. As Bird was a senior executive he would, or should have known, about the whereabouts of the incriminating data - and dreaming up the rubbish he said in front of the esteemed judge and jury really takes the biscuit.

Its a welcome 'freebie' for Tommy's appeal when it can be shown that a key witness (the man who bought the tape) was not telling the truth in court.

Funny old world - committing perjury to help someone get done for perjury.