MOIRA Williams is a single parent, a full-time carer and a passionate supporter of Scottish independence.

Little did she know that last November when she organised a vigil outside Holyrood to highlight her cause, her action would result in a bitter legal battle in the Court of Session.

There is a certain irony, which can’t be missed by those watching the case, that the bid to remove the campers is being taken by a parliament where the majority of MSPs share Williams’s belief that Scotland should be an autonomous nation.

Williams has put her head above the parapet to say she alone is responsible for the camp, that it was her idea and she set it up.

Her actions are designed to save 237 other independence supporters who she says should not be held legally responsible and are admirable.

However, whether the court accepts her arguments remains to be seen.

Clearly she and possibly many others risk losing a great deal if the case doesn’t go their way.

But as Lord Turnbull considers the arguments and we await his ruling, it is pertinent to ask whether this messy dispute could have been solved in a way which didn’t involve such high human stakes?

Carer Moira Williams claims sole responsibility for Holyrood camp