Trish Godman

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{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Trish Godman

| office = Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

| alongside = Murray Tosh (2003–2007) and Alasdair Morgan (2007–2011)

| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Presiding Officer}}

| 1namedata = George Reid
Alex Fergusson

| term_start = 7 May 2003

| term_end = 22 March 2011

| predecessor = George Reid

| successor = Elaine Smith

| office1 = Member of the Scottish Parliament
for West Renfrewshire

| term_start1 = 6 May 1999

| term_end1 = 22 March 2011

| predecessor1 = Constituency established

| successor1 = Constituency abolished

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|10|31|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2019|07|21|1939|10|31|df=y}}

| death_place = Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland

| birthname = Patricia Leonard

| party = Scottish Labour

| spouse = Norman Godman

| children = 3

}}

Patricia Godman (née Leonard; 31 October 1939 – 21 July 2019) was a Scottish Labour politician who served as Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2003 to 2011. She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West Renfrewshire constituency from 1999 to 2011.

Background

The daughter of Martin Leonard and Cathie Craig, Godman was a Glasgow City councillor before entering the Scottish Parliament.

After leaving St Gerard's Senior Secondary School, Glasgow aged 15, Godman worked with a charity for some time, as a waitress, in a bar, insurance collector and a house mother in a list 'D' school. She later attended Jordanhill College where she trained as a social worker.{{cite news |last1=Brydon |first1=Lindsay |title=Obituary: Trish Godman, social worker and politician |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/17796482.obituary-trish-godman-social-worker-politician/ |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=HeraldScotland |agency=Newsquest Media Group |publisher=Herald and Times Group |date=26 October 2019 |language=en}} She worked as a social worker working in the East End of Glasgow from 1979 to 1989.{{cite news |title=Trish Godman |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/trish-godman-qh0gfxqb7 |access-date=15 June 2021 |work=The Times |date=23 July 2019 |language=en}}

From 2003 until 2011, Godman was a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. In 2008, it was revealed she charged the taxpayer around £30,000 for hotel bills although she was renting a flat from her son Gary Mulgrew.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/msp-trish-godman-claimed-30000-971662|title=MSP Trish Godman Claimed £30,000 To Rent Son's Flat|last=Daily Record|location=London|date=2008-03-17|website=dailyrecord|access-date=2019-11-09}} She did not qualify for the rental expenses allowance as her main residence in Glasgow was too close to Holyrood to qualify, but claimed rent rather than hotel expenses. She was entitled to an overnight expenses allowance that permitted MSPs to recoup expenses for each night, which she had paid for the rent of the apartment. It was confirmed that she had neither broken the Parliamentary rules, nor benefited in any way.{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/the-deputy-presiding-officer-who-charged-the-taxpayer-pound-30-000-for-hotel-bills-1.828556|title=The deputy presiding officer who charged the taxpayer £30,000 for hotel bills|work=The Herald|date=15 March 2008 |location=Glasgow|accessdate=15 March 2008}}

On her final day in parliament, Godman wore a Celtic F. C. shirt in Holyrood. A few days later, a bomb addressed to her office was intercepted, with similar devices being sent to Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Paul McBride, Lennon's legal representative. It was believed that Godman was targeted for wearing the shirt.{{cite news |last1=Peterkin |first1=Tom |title=Celtic manager Neil Lennon, QC Paul McBride and former MSP Trish Godman targeted with letter bombs |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/celtic-manager-neil-lennon-qc-paul-mcbride-and-former-msp-trish-godman-targeted-letter-bombs-1679106 |access-date=15 June 2021 |work=www.scotsman.com |agency=DC Thomson Media |date=20 April 2011 |language=en}} Trevor Muirhead and Neil McKenzie were later convicted for sending the bombs.{{cite news |title=Muirhead and McKenzie jailed for Neil Lennon parcel bomb plot |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17869217 |access-date=15 June 2021 |work=BBC News |date=2012-04-27}}

Personal life

Godman married her second husband Norman Godman in 1981, who was a Member of Parliament for Greenock and Inverclyde and its predecessor seat from 1983 to 2001.{{cite news |last1=Coulter |first1=Paul John |title=Tributes pour in following the death of former Port Glasgow and Kilmacolm MSP Trish Godman |url=https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/17786375.tributes-pour-following-death-former-port-glasgow-kilmacolm-msp-trish-godman/ |access-date=15 June 2021 |work=Greenock Telegraph |date=24 July 2019 |language=en}} She had three sons by her first husband, from whom she separated aged 22 due to his infidelity. One, Gary Mulgrew, was one of the NatWest Three.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5176456.stm |title=Profile: The 'NatWest Three' |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC|date=13 July 2006 |accessdate=14 May 2016}} Her experience with his extradition inspired her to take an active role in opposing Gary McKinnon's extradition to the United States in a similar case.{{Cite web|date=2012-04-12|title=Fears for hacker facing extradition|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/fears-for-hacker-facing-extradition-6740423.html|access-date=2021-02-01|website=Evening Standard|location=London|language=en}}

Godman died on 21 July 2019 in Clydebank, after fighting with a terminal illness.{{cite news|url = https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituary-trish-godman-former-deputy-presiding-officer-of-the-scottish-parliament-1-4969851|title = Obituary: Trish Godman, former Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament|work = The Scotsman|last = Ponsonby|first = Bernard|date = 24 July 2019|accessdate = 28 July 2019}}