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Mr Sheridan denies lying during his successful defamation case
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A business consultant who claims he saw Tommy Sheridan at a hotel party has denied that he is a liar or a swinger.
Matthew McColl told the High Court in Glasgow he never had sex with a woman called Beverley ****son who is alleged to have been at the Moat House Hotel.
Mr Sheridan and his wife Gail, both 46, are accused of perjury.
They deny lying during his successful defamation case against the News of the World in 2006.
The former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) won £200,000 in damages after the newspaper printed allegations about his private life, claiming he was an adulterer who had visited a swingers' club.
Following a police investigation, Mr Sheridan and his wife were charged with perjury.
Mr McColl, 50, was giving evidence for a second day in the trial.
He previously told the court that he had seen Mr Sheridan at the Moat House Hotel in Glasgow with Andrew McFarlane and four women - Anne Colvin, Helen Allison, Jacqueline White and Beverley ****son - on 14 June, 2002.
This was the night before Mr McFarlane's wedding to Gail Sheridan's sister Gillian in June 2002.
During evidence on Thursday, Mr McColl was read a transcript of a conversation he had with News of the World journalist Douglas Wight in his car in 2005.
The court heard Mr Wight was secretly recording the conversation, in which he told Mr McColl that the newspaper believed Mr Sheridan and "a footballer" had also had sex with a prostitute, and that Mr McColl had arranged for the women to come and had booked the room.
Mr McColl told him: "I don't know anything about this."
During evidence, Mr McColl also denied that he had ever had sex with a woman called Beverley ****son, who had travelled up from Birmingham for the evening.
The court heard that she told police she had had a casual sexual relationship with the business consultant, and had slept with him at the Moat House Hotel in Glasgow the night before a wedding.
Mr McColl suggested she may have had "an agenda" for telling the police he had collected her from Glasgow Airport in a black limousine with a bottle of champagne but he did not know what her motives would be.
He said: "I like the idea but that didn't happen. I didn't have sex with Beverley Dixon in the Moat House Hotel."
Mr McColl also said the fact that he was in a relationship with the woman who later became his wife and the mother of his child would be "a great reason to lie" about having sex with Ms Dixon.
He said: "It would be a great reason to tell a lie and I'm sure lies have been told about that already."
Mr McColl admitted he had visited a club called Adam and Eve's "many years ago".
Paul McBride QC, representing Mrs Sheridan, said it was a swingers' club where Mr McColl had met and had sex with Beverley Dixon.
He told the court Ms Dixon's then-husband Graham Clarkson had told police in 2007 and had identified him as a man called Mac, who had subsequently become a "nuisance" and "pestered" his wife for further visits to the club.
Mr McColl said he had thought Adam and Eve's was a lap dancing club, and insisted he had not had sex with Ms Dixon.
The court also heard Mr McColl had told police four times that Mr Sheridan had not been at the Moat House Hotel but had changed his story in court.
He was interviewed after the outcome of the defamation action in Edinburgh in 2007.
Mr McColl said: "It was not my compunction to help the police."
But Mr McBride claimed Mr McColl would tell the court "any old rubbish" to make himself look good if there was something that put him into difficulty about his private life.
Mr McColl replied: "I don't think that is the case."
It is alleged that Mr Sheridan made false statements as a witness in his defamation action against the News of the World on 21 July 2006.
He also denies another charge of attempting to persuade a witness to commit perjury shortly before the 23-day legal action got under way.
Mrs Sheridan denies making false statements on 31 July 2006, after being sworn in as a witness in the civil jury trial at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
The trial, before Lord Bracadale, continues.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Mr Sheridan denies lying during his successful defamation case Related stories
A business consultant who claims he saw Tommy Sheridan at a hotel party has denied that he is a liar or a swinger.
Matthew McColl told the High Court in Glasgow he never had sex with a woman called Beverley ****son who is alleged to have been at the Moat House Hotel.
Mr Sheridan and his wife Gail, both 46, are accused of perjury.
They deny lying during his successful defamation case against the News of the World in 2006.
The former leader of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) won £200,000 in damages after the newspaper printed allegations about his private life, claiming he was an adulterer who had visited a swingers' club.
Following a police investigation, Mr Sheridan and his wife were charged with perjury.
Mr McColl, 50, was giving evidence for a second day in the trial.
He previously told the court that he had seen Mr Sheridan at the Moat House Hotel in Glasgow with Andrew McFarlane and four women - Anne Colvin, Helen Allison, Jacqueline White and Beverley ****son - on 14 June, 2002.
“I didn't have sex with Beverley Dixon in the Moat House hotel”
Matthew McColl Witness During evidence on Thursday, Mr McColl was read a transcript of a conversation he had with News of the World journalist Douglas Wight in his car in 2005.
The court heard Mr Wight was secretly recording the conversation, in which he told Mr McColl that the newspaper believed Mr Sheridan and "a footballer" had also had sex with a prostitute, and that Mr McColl had arranged for the women to come and had booked the room.
Mr McColl told him: "I don't know anything about this."
During evidence, Mr McColl also denied that he had ever had sex with a woman called Beverley ****son, who had travelled up from Birmingham for the evening.
The court heard that she told police she had had a casual sexual relationship with the business consultant, and had slept with him at the Moat House Hotel in Glasgow the night before a wedding.
Mr McColl suggested she may have had "an agenda" for telling the police he had collected her from Glasgow Airport in a black limousine with a bottle of champagne but he did not know what her motives would be.
He said: "I like the idea but that didn't happen. I didn't have sex with Beverley Dixon in the Moat House Hotel."
Mr McColl also said the fact that he was in a relationship with the woman who later became his wife and the mother of his child would be "a great reason to lie" about having sex with Ms Dixon.
He said: "It would be a great reason to tell a lie and I'm sure lies have been told about that already."
Mr McColl admitted he had visited a club called Adam and Eve's "many years ago".
“Anything that puts you into difficulty about your private life and you'll tell us any old rubbish?”
Paul McBride Mrs Sheridan's defence QC He told the court Ms Dixon's then-husband Graham Clarkson had told police in 2007 and had identified him as a man called Mac, who had subsequently become a "nuisance" and "pestered" his wife for further visits to the club.
Mr McColl said he had thought Adam and Eve's was a lap dancing club, and insisted he had not had sex with Ms Dixon.
The court also heard Mr McColl had told police four times that Mr Sheridan had not been at the Moat House Hotel but had changed his story in court.
He was interviewed after the outcome of the defamation action in Edinburgh in 2007.
Mr McColl said: "It was not my compunction to help the police."
But Mr McBride claimed Mr McColl would tell the court "any old rubbish" to make himself look good if there was something that put him into difficulty about his private life.
Mr McColl replied: "I don't think that is the case."
It is alleged that Mr Sheridan made false statements as a witness in his defamation action against the News of the World on 21 July 2006.
He also denies another charge of attempting to persuade a witness to commit perjury shortly before the 23-day legal action got under way.
Mrs Sheridan denies making false statements on 31 July 2006, after being sworn in as a witness in the civil jury trial at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
The trial, before Lord Bracadale, continues.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.