Witness: He came at me like zombie

Court is told of alleged advances

AN SNP worker told how Alex Salmond impersonated a zombie before taking her by the shoulders and trying to kiss her on the lips.

The woman told how the alleged experience in Bute House in Edinburgh felt like a “nightmare”.

She returned from the toilet, the court heard, to find Salmond lying on the floor after he’d changed from his suit into chinos and a sport jumper.

The witness – known as Woman J – said he beckoned for her to join him on the ground.

Woman J said “out of the blue” Salmond asked her: “Have you seen that zombie movie?”

She said she was “taken aback” as she “didn’t have a clue what he was talking about”.

Salmond stood and said, ‘Get up’, the jury was told. Woman J said Salmond “stretched his arms out towards me for a second or two and did an impression of a zombie walking towards me.”

The ex-first minister put his hands on her shoulders, she said, kissed her cheek then “moved me again” to kiss the other cheek. The witness said: “Then he leaned in to kiss me on the lips.”

Woman J was giving evidence on the fifth day of Salmond’s trial at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

Salmond, 65, faces 14 charges of alleged offences against 10 women. He denies all the charges.

He is accused of sexually assaulting Woman J at Bute House in September 2014.

Woman J told the jury after Salmond leaned in to kiss her, she broke his hold with her arms.

She said she was in “complete shock” and agreed she felt “frightened.”

But she added: “I remember thinking that I was glad that his reaction wasn’t angry.”

Salmond went into his private study, the court heard, acting like nothing had happened.

Woman J said Salmond said they would work in his study. She wanted to leave but “I didn’t feel I could”.

In the study, she said she commented that it was cold and Salmond responded she “shouldn’t have bare legs”.

The witness said she told him she was wearing tights. She said Salmond replied “Oh yes” and “put his hand on my leg”, leaving her “shocked”.

Woman J said Salmond informed her he was going to bed. She told the court she had needed to continue working and Salmond suggested she could “stay over”.

The witness said: “I thought there was no way in hell I was staying over. I just said thanks but I’ll need to get myself home.” She said Salmond left the room and she finished her work and left.

Woman J said she felt “quite emotional” about what had happened. The next day she awoke and felt like it had been a “nightmare”.

Earlier, she described how the then first minister had been “very angry” before arriving at the residence due to a political issue.

Salmond was “pacing back and forward while speaking on the phone” in the sitting room at Bute House, but later seemed “much more relaxed” after completing his calls. She added:

“He started engaging me in casual conversation.”

Woman J said Salmond asked if she wanted a drink and was pouring two glasses. She added: “I was relieved his mood had changed but I was still very much on edge.”

She accepted the whisky but didn’t like it and hadn’t drank it before. The witness added: “I was accepting it out of politeness.”

Woman J said Salmond offered to give her a tour of Bute House when he was “chatty”, spoke about the “artworks”, and showed her the cabinet room. She added: “He told a lot of anecdotes.”

Woman J said Salmond “disappeared“at one point and returned wearing “light-coloured chinos” and the jumper. She went to the toilet, the court heard, and when she returned Salmond was “lying on the floor” and working on a document. She said: “I froze actually.

I was very taken aback.” The witness said Salmond asked her to join him on the floor. She went on to the ground but left a “distance” between them.

Woman J said: “There was no way I was going to lie next to him.”

Cross examining the witness, Shelagh McCall QC, acting for Salmond, said her client maintained the alleged incident with him acting like a zombie “never happened”.

Ms McCall said: “I take it you are going to tell me it did?” The witness replied: “Yes.” Woman J later added Salmond told a brief story about a man who suffered a “broken penis” while giving her the tour. She felt Salmond told the story to “embarrass her”.

The next witness was a friend of Woman J.

She said her pal told her “something happened” at Bute House and was “visibly upset” and “teary”.

The trial continues.