Unborn baby put at risk by lies, says Sheridan

As his libel action entered its final stages, the Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan has pleaded with a jury to punish the newspaper which he claimed had ruined his reputation with allegations of adultery, drug-taking and group sex.

On the 21st day of a £200,000 damages action against the News of the World, Mr Sheridan made an emotional speech to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. He claimed that his pregnant wife and unborn child had been endangered by a pack of lies reported in the Sunday tabloid.

He said: "My reputation has been earned over a number of years. I am not about to allow that reputation to be destroyed by a newspaper and the multibillion empire it is attached to."

He said the evidence to support the allegations against him was "conspicuous by its absence".

However, the News of the World QC Mike Jones asked the jury to question why Mr Sheridan had brought his action. "What lies behind this is a truly monstrous ego. Mr Sheridan's ego," the lawyer said. The case continues.