Police take Coulson 400 miles to Glasgow - then a perjury charge
Andy Coulson, David Cameron's former director of communications, was last night formally arrested and charged with perjury in the 2010 criminal trial of Scots socialist leader Tommy Sheridan - himself accused of perjury in a successful civil action against the News of the World.
Andy Coulson: By road to Glasgow
Coulson was actually working at No 10 for Prime Minister David Cameron when he is alleged to have committed the perjury while being questioned at the High Court in Glasgow about phone hacking.
Yesterday's drama began at Coulson's home in Dulwich, London, at 6.30a.m. when seven Strathclyde officers arrived unannounced . Coulson was detained and escorted by road 400 miles to to Govan police station in Glasgow - the base for Operation Rubicon, the inquiry set up to investigate alleged perjury at Sheridan's trial.
The former News of the World editor and his escort arrived at 3.30 p.m. After questioning, Coulson was formally arrested and charged - and told at 9.30 p.m. that he was free to go home.
A report will now go to the procurator fiscal, the Scottish term for prosecutor, who will decide if Coulson is to face court proceedings .
Strathclyde police said Coulson had been detained in London for questioning in connection with evidence he gave during Sheridan's own trial for perjury in December 2010.
Sheridan was accused of lying in court when he won a £200,000 defamation action against the News of the World.
Coulson, called as a defence witness by Sheridan, was questioned over two days at the high court in Glasgow by the politician , who conducted his own defence.
Sheridan produced documentary evidence that he had been twice targeted by Glenn Mulcaire, a private detective hired by the NotW, in 2004 who later pleaded guilty to hacking voice mail messages for the paper.
The ex-editor was presented with records showing Sheridan’s name, phone number and telephone PIN code in a notebook belonging to Mulcaire,
On the witness stand, Coulson said of Sheridan’s claim that Mulcaire had hacked his phone. “I’m saying that I had absolutely no knowledge of it. I certainly didn’t instruct anyone to do anything at the time, or anything else that was untoward.”
Coulson also flatly denied that he had condoned or even known about phone hacking or other illegal reporting techniques while he was editor of The News of the World.
This is the second time Coulson has been detained in connection with the wider hacking affair: he has already been arrested by the Metropolitan police as part of its investigations into News International.
The latest Coulson story, which has made headlines around the world, broke with a brief statement yesterday morning. A Strathclyde police spokeswoman said: "I can confirm officers from Strathclyde police's Operation Rubicon team detained a 44-year-old man in London this morning. It is under section 14 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 on suspicion of committing perjury before the high court in Glasgow."
Sheridan was convicted of perjury by a majority verdict in the 2010 case . He was sentenced to three years but served just one.
Sheridan's original £200,000 libel damages were awarded after it the paper printed allegations he had committed adultery and visited a swingers’ club. Payment was
was delayed after News International appealed against the verdict; that appeal has been suspended pending the outcome of the Operation Rubicon investigation.