How Record broke news of allegations

ALEX Salmond told the Holyrood committee how the Daily Record newspaper broke news of the bombshell sexual allegations against him.

He detailed to MSPs how the Scottish Government was preparing to release a press statement on August 23, 2018, outlining the allegations against him and he was ready to counter with an interdict preventing that going ahead.

But the Record had obtained details and approached Salmond on 8pm on that day for a statement on the complaints against him which blew the lid on the previously confidential complaints.

Salmond said: “The Daily Record put the story out at 10pm. I held a press conference the next day.”

Salmond said the leak of the story to the Daily Record was “politically inspired” to confound legal action he was planning against the Scottish Government.

The former first minister also claimed there were 23 possible sources of the leak to the Record.

He added: “I do believe I know the identity but I’m not here to speculate on individuals that I cannot substantiate.”

The Record later exclusively revealed the existence of Whatsapp messages from SNP chief executive Peter Murrell suggesting that the police ought to be pressured into further investigating Salmond.

The former first minister has taken these messages, and others he cannot reveal for legal reasons, as evidence of a plot against him at the highest levels in the party.

But Salmond said he was puzzled that there has been an extensive investigation into the leak of Whatsapp messages to the Daily Record via Salmond ally Kenny MacAskill MP – but there was no further police investigation into the original leak of the harassment claims against him.

THE number of children walking to school is at a 10-year high due to parents working from home.

More than half of pupils are walking, cycling or skating to school.

Experts said changes to work patterns for parents meant more were able to walk their kids to school.

A survey of 400,000 pupils found 51.2 per cent walked, cycled, scooted or skated to classes in September – compared to 47.8 per cent in 2019.

The Sustrans Scotland poll found 42.3 per cent of private schools pupils got there by car in 2020 compared to 22.6 per cent from state schools.

IT WASN’T enough for Debora Kayembe to flee from the war-torn Congo, anchor herself and her family in Scotland, establish herself as a top lawyer and become a public figure as the rector of Edinburgh University.

Even at the peak of her achievements she has to suffer the vile racist abuse from keyboard cowards but that’s a fairly regular occurrence for Debora simply because of the colour of her skin.

It is true that the knuckleheads who indulge in online racism are a minority.

But no one should be under any illusion that racism does not exist in Scotland.

Debora has suffered terrible racially motivated attacks at her home and her children have been abused for no reason.

Racism has to be tackled head-on by using the full force of the law to protect the victims.

And those who indulge in this kind of cowardly online abuse should be jailed.