A POLITICAL activist charged with breaking the law over a protest about one of the sponsors of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games has been cleared of breach of the peace.
Sean Clerkin was accused of causing a breach of the peace as the Queen's Baton Relay passed through his hometown of Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, last July.
The 54-year-old was arrested as he tried to protest against Atos - the private firm who assess whether people on benefits in Britain are fit to work - being named as a sponsor for the games.
Clerkin and a friend - who was dressed in a Gorilla costume and a lab coat - tried to show a large white banner saying "Atos Kills" and "No to Atos as a Games sponsor" to BBC television cameras.
But Clerkin - who has famously clashed with former Scottish Labour leaders Iain Gray and Jim Murphy - was cleared of wrongdoing following a trial at Paisley Sheriff Court.
As he found Clerkin not guilty, Sheriff Derek Hamilton said: "You may have been there to protest, you're entitled to do that, but I don't think the Crown have shown you attempted to disrupt the progression of the baton relay so you're acquitted of this charge."
After his arrest on July 16, 2014, Clerkin spent 27 hours in police custody before appearing at Paisley Sheriff Court where he was granted bail, with a special condition banning him from every Commonwealth Games venue.
Speaking after he was cleared, Mr Clerkin said: "I am elated and relieved.
"Police Scotland are trying to turn this into a police state and I was arrested to take me out and make sure I couldn't protest during the Commonwealth Games."
Clerkin's lawyer, John Flanagan, also hailed the verdict, describing it as a "victory for the Scottish justice system and proof that our courts will protect the innocent" when they are wrongfully arrested.
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