Leslie to file complaint against police over sex case
● Former TV host accuses officers of ‘no interest’ in getting club CCTV
Former TV presenter John Leslie is set to make a complaint against Police Scotland and could even sue the force after being acquitted of sexual assault.
The ex-blue Peter and This Morning presenter claimed the experience had been the worst of his life.
He accused officers of showing “no interest” in obtaining CCTV footage from inside the Edinburgh nightclub where he was alleged to have put his hand down the back of a woman’s trousers on her hen night.
The bride-to-be told Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month that Leslie touched her bottom as they danced together in the Atik nightclub in June last year.
But after a two-day trial, the charge was found not proven and Leslie was told he was free to leave.
The verdict meant there had been found to be insufficient evidence to establish guilt or innocence.
The 53-year-old said he had “lost a year of my life” as a result of the case, adding: “I lost dignity, respect and I’m unemployable again, even though I was acquitted.”
The presenter told a national newspaper: “I feel as if my heart has been ripped out by this latest case and it has been the worst experience of my life, by a country mile.
“I will be making a formal complaint to the police, but I also wouldn’t rule out a civil action.”
Leslie continued: “I blame the police. At the very least I’d like an apology.
“I was detained and charged in the early hours of the morning over an incident in a public space in a nightclub that was covered by CCTV, yet the police showed no interest in obtaining the footage.
“Those films, taken from two different angles, show the young woman dancing quite happily with me. At no point does anything inappropriate happen.
“Yet instead of dropping the matter or sending the videos to the fiscal’s office, the police simply sent a highly selective summary.
“The woman was about to get married and was having a good time. I was trying to be a nice guy by dancing with her.
“I’m 100 per cent convinced the allegation would not have been made if it wasn’t me.”
Leslie alleged the police “were pretty selective in their evidence gathering”.
He claimed “it wasn’t so much a rush to charge me, but a stampede”.
However, Leslie said his defence team secured CCTV footage from the club that “showed my hand for the whole three minutes and ten seconds of the dance near as damn it in the same position, with twirls, separation and her hands round my neck pulling me towards her”.
He added: “It was obvious gold dust for us and really important.”
Leslie’s father Les Stott, who was with his son as he left court last month, had reacted angrily when asked about the not proven verdict.
He said: “It doesn’t leave any doubt. He is innocent, absolutely, positively innocent.”
Police Scotland have reportedly said “all complaints will be assessed and investigated as appropriate”.
Leslie became Blue Peter’s first Scottish presenter in 1989. He later succeeded Bradley Walsh as the main presenter of the British version of Wheel of Fortune.
In 2002, the presenter was dismissed from ITV’S This Morning after allegations of sexual offences were made. He was replaced as co-host by Phillip Schofield.