Alex Salmond charged with two counts of attempted rape
Alex Salmond was yesterday charged with attempted rape and a series of other sex offences following a four-month police investigation.
The former first minister of Scotland said he was ‘‘innocent of any criminality’’ after appearing in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court accused of two attempted rapes, nine sexual assaults and two indecent assaults, plus a breach of the peace.
The hearing before Sheriff Frank Crowe lasted less than five minutes. A defiant Salmond later told the waiting crowd of reporters: ‘‘I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality.’’
The former SNP leader made no plea or declaration in court and the case was continued for further examination. He was released on bail with his next court appearance yet to be confirmed.
It came only two weeks after Salmond was celebrating victory at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, when the Scottish government conceded that its internal investigation of complaints against him was unlawful. He had launched a judicial review against the government he once led over how it had handled an inquiry into the allegations, which he denied, from two civil servants dating from his time as first minister.
The lengthy list of sexual offence allegations by an unknown number of women revealed yesterday represents an extraordinary turn of events for one of Britain’s best-known politicians.
Salmond led the SNP for 20 years in two stints and took the party from the political fringes to power and dominance in Scotland.
Although he failed to achieve his political dream of Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum, the 64-year-old is still revered as a hero by many nationalists.
He lives with his wife, Moira, who is 17 years his senior, in a converted mill in the Aberdeenshire village of Strichen. The couple have been married for 37 years and have no children.
Police Scotland arrested and charged him on Thursday and a report was sent to the procurator fiscal, Scotland’s prosecution service.
Declaring his innocence, Salmond said: ‘‘Now that criminal proceedings are live, it is even more important to respect the court, and therefore the only thing I can say is I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court. I’ve got great faith in the court system of Scotland. That is where I will state my case.’’
Addressing reporters, he said: ‘‘You know me well enough to know that I’d love to say a great deal more, but I’ve got to observe the rules of the court.’’
Police Scotland issued a statement yesterday but provided no details. As the case in court was heard in private, Salmond issued his statement afterwards without his audience, mainly members of the press, knowing the charges. The Crown Office later issued a list of the charges and a summary of what had occurred at the appearance.
Under the Scottish legal system, no details about the charges, such as the location or number of alleged victims, are provided at the first hearing.
Speaking at the Scottish Parliament before the court appearance and before the charges were made public, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, said: ‘‘This news this morning will be a shock to many people. But as Police Scotland have made clear, these are now live criminal proceedings. That means now, more than ever, it would be completely inappropriate for me or anybody else for that matter to make any comment.’’
Salmond guided the SNP to a narrow Scottish election win in 2007 and led a minority government, with Sturgeon, his protege, as deputy.
In an astonishing SNP landslide in the 2011 contest, he won a parliamentary majority, which ultimately led to the independence referendum of 2014.