Latest news with #RehabilitationofOffendersAct
Glasgow Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Tommy Sheridan says he is 'victimised' by Glasgow council
The Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership informed Tommy that due to his 2011 perjury conviction and prison sentence, all future applications for employment would be denied, according to the BBC. He has challenged this decision at Scotland's highest civil court, the Court of Session. Tommy told BBC Scotland News that his gender critical views on trans rights were a factor in the decision by the SNP-run council. READ MORE: Tommy Sheridan refused social work job due to 'unacceptable risk', court hears Sheridan, who completed a master's degree in social work at Glasgow Caledonian University, told BBC Scotland that he had "no doubt whatsoever" that he was being blacklisted by the council. He said that this is because of his socialist background and his views on transgender issues, which he says conflict with those of the SNP-led council. He said: "I don't think it chimes with the spirit of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act to hold against someone a 15-year-old conviction. "Particularly when I've already had to go through a vetting process, a very stiff vetting process from the body that was set up to regulate social care." Sheridan maintains that his "lived experience", including time in prison, makes him particularly suited to working in criminal justice youth social work. He said: "I come from a very working-class background, brought up in a housing scheme, having been in and around jails for the best part of 20-odd years. "I have intimate knowledge of the processes, challenges, and what prison is really like." (Image: Newsquest) He also claimed his gender-critical beliefs—such as rejecting self-identification in favour of biological definitions—played a role in the decision: "I think being a socialist is always difficult for some of the SNP councillors, but I think the biggest area would be my gender critical views. "I don't share the SNP's position that someone can declare that they're a man or a woman. I believe in biology, I believe in science, and so does the law now. "It's very unusual that the Supreme Court agrees with me, but there you go. I agree with the Supreme Court. "Now, those are gender critical views that Glasgow City Council SNP group don't agree with. So I've got no doubt in my mind that that's part of the package." Sheridan's case is currently under consideration at the Court of Session, after he received a rejection letter in August 2024. The court heard that Glasgow City Council deemed his past conviction an 'unacceptable level of risk' for a social work role. His lawyer argued the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)—the body responsible for regulating the profession—had already approved him as a suitable candidate, making the council's position unlawful. In response, the council's legal representative, Paul Reid KC, maintained the decision was within the local authority's rights as an employment matter and therefore not subject to judicial review. Lord Young is expected to deliver a ruling in due course. READ MORE: Tommy Sheridan to pursue legal action against Scottish council Sheridan has announced plans to return to frontline politics, seeking selection as a candidate for the Alba Party in the next Scottish Parliament elections. He added: "Why don't I go back into politics and start using the skills I have to communicate, to advocate, to try and promote independence. "But also to rage against some of the injustices in our world just now, of which there are far too many." Sheridan rose to prominence as an anti-Poll Tax campaigner, later becoming an MSP in 1999 for the Scottish Socialist Party, which he led during its peak years. He was imprisoned in 2011 after being convicted of perjury related to a defamation case against the News of the World. A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: 'It is untrue to say that Mr Sheridan's views on trans rights had any bearing on this matter whatsoever. "The hiring process is purely operational, and elected members play no role in selecting candidates for this kind of role. "Furthermore, these assertions did not form any part of Mr Sheridan's case in court.'
The National
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Tommy Sheridan says he has been 'victimised' by Glasgow City Council
The city's Health and Social Care Partnership told former MSP Sheridan that all future applications for jobs would be rejected due to him serving jail time for perjury. Glasgow City Council has declined to comment as there is an ongoing case over the issue at the Court of Session. Sheridan told BBC Scotland News that his gender critical views on trans rights were a factor in the decision by the council, adding he had "no doubt whatsoever" that he was being blacklisted. He said: "I don't think it chimes with the spirit of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act to hold against someone a 15-year-old conviction. READ MORE: Stirling Labour councillors face no-confidence vote "Particularly when I've already had to go through a vetting process, a very stiff vetting process from the body that was set up to regulate social care." Sheridan (below) went to Scotland's highest civil court after he received a rejection letter in August last year, in a bid to get the decision overturned. The Court of Session heard social work bosses refused to give Sheridan a job because of the 'unacceptable level of risk' his perjury conviction posed to a council. (Image: NQ) In 2011, Sheridan was found to have had lied under oath during a £200,000 defamation action against the News of the World newspaper and was sentenced to three years in jail. He was subsequently declared bankrupt in 2022 after running up debts while trying to prove he had been wrongfully imprisoned. He appealed against his conviction in 2015, and again in 2016. Both applications were refused. Sheridan's political career was derailed when stories appeared in the News of the World alleging he had taken cocaine and cheated on his wife Gail at swingers' parties. READ MORE: Cuts to PIP will plunge families further into poverty, research says He had risen to prominence as a fierce opponent of the poll tax and led the SSP as a serious political force in Scotland, culminating in the passage of his bill to outlaw poindings and warrant sales. But after successfully suing the now-defunct weekly tabloid for defamation, his case was reviewed and he was later found to have lied to court – resulting in a three-year sentence, of which he served one year. Sheridan said: "If I was applying for a job in the PR department that may have been a consideration. "But dealing with people who have got social problems, trying to help people, trying to use your values, your skills, your knowledge, trying to make people's lives better. I don't understand it at all." He said he believed his views on trans issues were a factor. "I think being a socialist is always difficult for some of the SNP councillors, but I think the biggest area would be my gender critical views," he told the Scotcast podcast. "I don't share the SNP's position that someone can declare that they're a man or a woman. I believe in biology, I believe in science, and so does the law now. "Now, those are gender critical views that Glasgow City Council SNP group don't agree with. So I've got no doubt in my mind that that's part of the package." Sheridan previously led the Scottish Socialist Party at Holyrood. They won several seats in 1999 and 2003. Most recently, he was elected to the governing body of the Alba Party and has put his name forward in the hope of being selected as an Alba candidate for the Scottish Parliament. He said his own "lived experience" behind bars made him an ideal candidate for a youth social work job in criminal justice. "I come from a very working class background, brought up in a housing scheme, having been in and around jails for the best part of 20-odd years," he said. "I have intimate knowledge of the processes, challenges and what prison is really like." Sheridan is still awaiting a decision on his action at the Court of Session. His lawyer said the council acted unlawfully in its decision to permanently exclude him from social work jobs. Glasgow City Council's lawyer Paul Reid KC told the court the local authority acted lawfully and were legally entitled to refuse employment. Lord Young said he would issue a verdict in the near future.
