Senior official ‘came to expect’ inappropriate touching and FM’S unwanted ‘sloppy kisses’

A senior official in the Scottish Government said she “came to expect” being inappropriately touched and receiving unwanted “sloppy” kisses from Alex Salmond but did not know how to stop it because “he was the most powerful man in the country”.

The prosecution witness, known as Woman A, claims the former first minister of Scotland sexually assaulted her a number of times.

One charge alleges he kissed her on the mouth and touched her buttocks and breast over her clothing on several occasions in Glasgow between June and July 2008.

Appearing behind a screen, she told of her “disgust” when he allegedly groped her on another occasion at a Christmas party in an Edinburgh nightclub in 2010.

She said Salmond ran his hands down her body and over her hips, telling her “you look good, you’ve lost weight”.

Asked by advocate depute Alex Prentice QC for the Crown if she had wanted to be touched in that way, she replied: “No, not at all.”

Woman A said: “He was the most powerful man in the country.

“I didn’t think of complaining. Who do you complain to about the first minister? Who is more powerful than him?”

The woman said she got so accustomed to Salmond kissing her and touching her inappropriately that she resorted to carrying bags to create a barrier between her and the politician.

She said: “I came to expect something like that to happen during my days with him during that time.

“There was no need to be that physically close. There was no need to move his hand.

“There was no need for that to happen without him meaning to do it.”

She added: “At times he would move his hand on my back and move his hands so they were on the side of my chest or they were on my back.”

Jurors were told Salmond would put pressure on her shoulders so she could not move her lips away from being kissed when being greeted.

She described the incidents as “very sloppy, very unpleasant”.

Mr Prentice asked: “You say you didn’t know how to tell the first minister not to do that, but why not just say ‘first minister don’t do that’?”

She said: “I liked my job. I was doing this job which meant a lot to me and him humiliating me on a regular basis was embarrassing.

“I didn’t want to tell people he was doing this. It would make me look weak.

“He was the most powerful man in the country. I had experienced volatile mood swings and behaviour from him and it was always easier to move away than risk infuriating or antagonising him.”

Referring to the nightclub incident, she said Salmond touched her breasts, waist and hips after he had given a speech at a party.

She said it made her feel “disgusted” and added: “It took me back a bit to previous occasions I talked about earlier where he had touched me.”

During cross-examination Gordon Jackson, who is leading Salmond’s defence team, argued the then first minister would regularly kiss members of the public during engagements.

Woman A said: “He would often give old grannies’ kisses on the cheek that would end up on the lips.”

Woman A also denied encouraging other people to make complaints about Salmond.