Former politician speaks of legal challenge

Grampian TV/January 20, 2005

A former SNP politician who's daugther falsely accused him of raping her has been speaking of their fresh legal challenge against a Scottish NHS Trust. Jim Fairlie's daughter Katrina is suing the former Perth and Kinross NHS Trust. She claims a psychiatrist extracted false memories using a controversial therapy.

It's ten years since former SNP deputy leader Jim Fairlie was accused of raping his daughter, an allegation he and his family have continued to fight against.

In nineteen ninety-four Katrina was admitted to Perth Royal Infirmary with severe stomach pains. After two operations doctors claimed she was imagining the pain and transferred her to the psychiatric unit at the town's Murray Royal Hospital.

It was there while undergoing recovered memory therapy that she told doctors her father, who left the SNP in nineteen-ninety, had raped her. She also accused seventeen other men, including two other Scottish MPs, of sexually abusing her.

Katrina later withdrew the allegations and the controversial therapy used has been discredited by psychiatric experts. She's now suing the former Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust.

In a statement today NHS Tayside said: "We are aware that Katrina Fairlie has initiated legal proceedings which are ongoing, and a preliminary hearing will take place at some time in the future."

Katrina discharged herself from hospital four years ago and has been off all medication and hasn't seen a psychiatrist since. Mr Fairlie say's his daughter has shown an enormous amount of courage and now they're all trying to rebuild their lives.

Mr Fairlie's own case against the Trust was thrown out last year on a legal technicality. A preliminary hearing of Katrina's case will be heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in March.