Salmond says allegations against him ‘fabricated’ and ‘exaggerated’
Alex Salmond has told his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh that some of the allegations against him have been fabricated and others exaggerated out of proportion.
He was giving evidence at the start of the defence case on day seven of the trial.
The former first minister – who described himself as a “journalist, TV presenter and retired politician” – denies a total of 13 sex charges involving nine women after one charge was withdrawn by the prosecution.
Salmond said: “Events are being reinterpreted and exaggerated out of any possible proportion. Some, but not all, are fabrications, deliberate fabrications for political purposes. Some are exaggerations taken out of proportion.
“And the impact of some of the publicity over the past 18 months has led some people to revise their opinions and say ‘something happened to me’.
“People can get into a sausage machine and cannot get out of it even if they want to.”
The charges, which span a period between June 2008 and November 2014, include one of attempted rape and one of intent to rape.
But Salmond told the court: “I have never attempted to have a non-consensual sexual relationship with anyone during my entire life.”
Salmond agreed with his lawyer, Gordon Jackson QC, that “things that didn’t happen” or “innocent things” had been “turned into sexual offences”.
The former first minister suggested that one complainer, Woman A, had encouraged some of the other complaints against him by other women.
He rejected two claims of indecent assault and sexual assault, which were brought by Woman A. He told the court one would have taken place at an event when “all eyes were on him”.
The former first minister said: “It’s not just a fabrication, it’s ludicrous. It makes no sense whatsoever and that’s because I didn’t do it. It’s fabrication, just as she encouraged at least five other women to exaggerate or make claims against me.”
Salmond said he was aware that two women brought “causes for concern” with him through a formal government process in relation to his time as first minister.
The court heard he had a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon at her home in Glasgow to discuss the “causes of concern”, which had been raised against him.
The trial continues.