Salmond is cleared of sex assaults
Former SNP leader accuses enemies of ‘fabricating’ claims in witch-hunt
‘Machiavellian stitch-up’
ALEX Salmond said his ‘nightmare’ was over yesterday after he was dramatically cleared of sexually assaulting a string of women.
The former Scottish first minister had been accused of exploiting his power and influence to prey on women. He maintained his innocence throughout the high-profile trial and claimed some of the charges were ‘deliberate fabrications for a political purpose’.
Mr Salmond, 65, hinted that evidence proving there had been a witch-hunt against him ‘would see the light of day’ once the coronavirus pandemic was over.
Speaking outside the High Court in Edinburgh after the 11-day trial, he thanked his family and friends for standing by him.
The former SNP leader, who brought Scotland to the brink of independence in 2014, added: ‘There is certain evidence that I would have liked to have seen in this trial but for a variety of reasons we were not able to do so.
‘Those facts will see the light of day but it won’t be this day, and it won’t be this day for a very good reason. And that is, whatever nightmare I’ve been in over these last two years, it is nothing compared to the nightmare every one of us is currently living through.’
During the landmark case, Mr Salmond was accused of grabbing and groping women in plain sight. He was also accused of luring them into his private quarters at Bute House, the first minister’s residence in Edinburgh, before trying to ply them with red wine, whiskey, limoncello and a potent Chinese spirit called Maotai.
One government official, who can be identified only as Woman H, accused Mr Salmond of attempting to rape her in June 2014 in Bute House’s Connery Room – so called because Sean Connery, a supporter of Scottish independence, had stayed there.
But after more than five hours of deliberations yesterday, the jury found him not guilty on 12 charges and returned a not proven verdict on a further charge of sexual assault with intent to rape.
In the Scottish court system, a not proven verdict has the same legal effect as an acquittal.
Mr Salmond was arrested and charged by Police Scotland in January last year. It came just over a fortnight after he celebrated winning a legal battle against the
Scottish government over its ‘unlawful’ handling of an internal inquiry into sexual misconduct claims against him.
It can now be revealed Mr Salmond launched an extraordinary attack on his former colleagues in secret court hearings, accusing them of plotting against him after his legal victory. In pretrial hearings in January and February, his legal team argued the criminal inquiry was orchestrated by current first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s inner circle.
Gordon Jackson, defending Mr Salmond, lobbied Judge Leeona Dorrian for permission to argue that the politician was the victim of a Scottish government smear campaign. He said key SNP and civil service figures had feared a major ‘scandal’ after Mr Salmond began a judicial review of the Scottish government’s inquiry.
In explosive text messages read out to the court – which could not be reported at the time for legal reasons – Mr Jackson said permanent secretary Leslie Evans, Scotland’s top civil servant, had texted another civil servant following the conclusion of the judicial review, saying: ‘We may have lost the battle – but we will win the war.’
Ms Sturgeon and her government are now facing multiple inquiries. Mr Salmond’s supporters said he was the victim of ‘a Machiavellian stitch-up’ and that ‘resignations are now required’.
Ms Sturgeon said: ‘The court has reached a verdict and that must be respected. I have no doubt that there will be further discussion around this issue in due course.’