Salmond ‘did a zombie walk before trying to kiss colleague’

ALEX SALMOND mimicked a zombie by outstretching his arms and walking “clumsily” towards a woman he tried to kiss, making her feel she was in an “awful nightmare”, a jury heard yesterday.

Woman J, an SNP worker, told the High Court in Edinburgh that the alleged late-night sexual assault at the former first minister’s official residence was “premeditated” and left her “freaked out”. Giving evidence at the end of the first week of the politician’s trial, she claimed she and the then SNP leader had been working on documents for his independence referendum campaign in September 2014.

After returning from an official dinner, she was concerned Mr Salmond was “angry” after he learned of a breaking news story that would affect his campaign. She said she felt “very much on edge” and “alone” in Bute House; however he became “more relaxed” as the pair worked together.

After he changed out of his suit into more “casual” clothing he lay on the floor and told her: “Come here.”

Explaining how she did not “want to anger him”, she said she joined him on the floor to amend documents they were working on.

“Out of the blue he said, ‘Have you seen that zombie movie?’” she claimed. “I was completely taken aback. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.”

He told her to stand up and she said he took a couple of “clumsy steps” before putting his hands – with a “heavy touch” – on her shoulders and “leaned in” before moving her “out of the way” to kiss her on both cheeks before trying to kiss her on the lips.

Woman J said she “raised” her arms to “break contact” with Mr Salmond, adding: “I took a couple of steps back, he turned around to pick up the documents and acted like nothing had happened.” She said she felt “scared… humiliated … devastated” and in “complete shock”.

She said that later in Mr Salmond’s study she “freaked out” when he touched her nose, and became “startled” when he “briefly” touched her leg and face.

The court also heard from a former civil servant named only as Woman K who said her “heart stopped” when Salmond “forcibly” grabbed her while posing for a picture at Stirling Castle.

A male civil servant also told how he “instinctively brushed away” Mr Salmond’s hand and told him to “behave” when he allegedly tried to touch a female colleague’s face in a hotel lift.

Mr Salmond, 65, denies 14 counts of sexual assaults against 10 women.

The trial continues.