The former News of the World editor who was detained by Strathclyde Police at his home in Dulwich, south London, yesterday on May 30, 2012, was taken to a high security police station in Glasgow by the Scottish police.
Coulson is alleged to have lied to the high court in Glasgow when he gave evidence at the perjury trial of former MSP Tommy Sheridan in December 2010, while he was Cameron’s chief media adviser.
In a brief statement issued on Facebook, Strathclyde police said, “A 44-year- old man has been arrested in connection with alleged perjury before the high court. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
“It is under section 14 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 on suspicion of committing perjury before the high court in Glasgow,” said a Strathclyde police spokeswoman after Coulson’s arrest on Wednesday morning.
Coulson, who resigned as the News of the World editor in January 2007 after his Royal editor, Clive Goodman, was convicted of hacking phones used by the British Royal family members, had been called as a defence witness by Sheridan, who was on trial for lying in court when he won a £200,000 defamation action against the Sunday tabloid.
Sheridan questioned Coulson about his knowledge of a hacking operation carried out by Glenn Mulcaire, the private detective who worked for the News of the World and was jailed alongside Goodman.
The former MSP said he had been twice targeted by Mulcaire in 2004, and accused Coulson of running a newspaper where hacking and the “dark arts” were commonplace.
However, Coulson denied Sheridan’s allegations, and told the court he had never met or heard of Mulcaire before Goodman’s trial, adding, “I don’t accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the NOW.”
Meanwhile, today on May 31, Coulson’s lawyer said he will “vigorously contest” a perjury charges if they are ever brought to trial.
SSM/SS/HE
Related posts:
Views: 0