Former MSP Tommy Sheridan admitted twice visiting a swingers' club, according to a secretary who took notes at a Scottish Socialist Party emergency meeting.
Giving evidence at the perjury trial of Mr Sheridan and his wife Gail, Barbara Scott said the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant had told the meeting that he had a "flaw" in his character and a "weakness".
Advocate Depute for the Crown, Alex Prentice QC, asked Ms Scott what the purpose of the meeting on November 9, 2004, at the SSP headquarters had been.
Ms Scott replied: "It was to discuss what was to happen about the fact there had been a newspaper story in the News of the World the previous weekend."
She recalled that Mr Sheridan had been the first to speak at the meeting.
"He talked about the story in the News of the World that had been about an unnamed married MSP that had gone to a swingers' club in Manchester and he said that it was him and that he had gone to it, but that it had been not the dates that they said in the paper, that it was two different dates, and it was a flaw in his character, it was a weakness that he had, but it had only been those two times," she said.
Ms Scott was then asked to read from a notebook containing the notes she had taken at the meeting.
She read out: "Two visits 1996, 2002, mistake, reckless etc. Publication of book by someone, two other MSPs named. For two weeks someone been trying to sell story to newspapers.
"Keith Baldassara and Alan McCombes last Monday. Asked for opportunity to fight this on own. Confident no proof of participation."
Asked to explain what "proof of participation" referred to, Ms Scott said she took the comment to mean that there was no photographic evidence of the visits.
She read on: "Don't think should have to be hostage to fortune, don't deserve sympathy but do deserve opportunity to fight it.
"Some people may feel loss of confidence. It's for comrades to decide. If by February don't have confidence, will stand down."
The Sheridans are accused of having lied under oath during Mr Sheridan's defamation action against the News of the World in 2006.
The former socialist politician won £200,000 from the tabloid newspaper over allegations about his sex life.
A police investigation after that four-week trial - which came about after the newspaper alleged Mr Sheridan had slept with a former prostitute - led to the couple facing the fresh charges.
More than 200 witnesses have been cited for the trial.
Three of the country's leading QCs will head the defence and prosecutions teams. Mr Sheridan is represented by Margaret Scott while his wife will be defended by Paul McBride. Alex Prentice will be the advocate depute for the Crown.
The indictment contains three charges in total, two of which are broken down into a number of sub-sections.
Mr Sheridan denies lying to the courts during his case, which followed the newspaper's claims that he was an adulterer who had visited a swingers' club.
It is alleged he made false statements as a witness in the defamation action on July 21 2006. He also denies another charge of attempting to persuade a witness to commit perjury shortly before the 23-day legal action got under way.
Mrs Sheridan denies making false statements on July 31 2006 after being sworn in as a witness in the civil jury trial at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
