MSP escapes prison sentence
No jail for SSP's Rosie Kane after fine payment refusal
Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane has escaped a prison sentence despite not paying a fine imposed by the courts for her part in an anti-nuclear protest.
Ms Kane took part in a demonstration held at the Faslane nuclear submarine base in August 2004. She was fined £150 after being found guilty of committing a breach of the peace.
She refused to pay the money and also to accept an alternative punishment - a supervised attendance order.
Ms Kane's solicitor Aamer Anwar said she had not paid the fine because she believed she had been protesting peacefully against nuclear weapons.
At Glasgow District Court yesterday, the 44-year-old MSP was reprimanded by the magistrate, J P Nisbet, who told her he hoped she was proud of the contempt she had shown for the Scottish legal system.
Speaking outside the court, Ms Kane said she did not believe she had shown contempt for the Scottish legal system, as most of Scotland was against nuclear weapons. She added that she had expected a prison sentence and had packed a bag in preparation.
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