Women ‘vilified after not guilty verdict’
The Women’s Equality Party in Scotland has said that women involved in the Alex Salmond sexual assault trial have been “vilified online as liars” due to a Not Guilty verdict.
The party which fights to put women’s equality on the political agenda in Scotland has also commented that the Scottish Justice system is "failing women” who may be more reluctant to come forward as a result of how females have been treated in the case.
Ruth Wilkinson spokesperson from the WEP Scotland said: "Women involved have been treated badly.
"They have been vilified online as liars by people who don't realise that a Not Guilty verdict doesn't necessarily mean the prosecution witnesses perjured themselves, and in some cases publicly identified in spite of that being prohibited."
This week, Clive Thomson who illegally named women involved in the Salmond case
and gave evidence against the former FM was jailed for six months.
However, Ms Wilkinson went on to say that “more needs to be done” in Scotland and across the UK to protect women who speak up about sexual assault.
She added: "The Scottish justice system is failing women who may be more reluctant than ever to come forward after seeing how the women in the Salmond case have been treated.”
"It’s so easy to accuse these women of lying especially online when everything happens very quickly and often unthinkingly."