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| Alex Salmond acquitted of all charges in sexual assault trial | Alex Salmond acquitted of all charges in sexual assault trial |
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| Ex-first minister of Scotland cleared of 12 charges of attempted rape and sexual assaults, and not proven on one | Ex-first minister of Scotland cleared of 12 charges of attempted rape and sexual assaults, and not proven on one |
| Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, has been acquitted on all charges after a two-week trial for sexual assault. | Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, has been acquitted on all charges after a two-week trial for sexual assault. |
| The jury at the high court in Edinburgh found Salmond not guilty of 12 charges of attempted rape, sexual assault and indecent assault after considering their verdicts for around six hours. | The jury at the high court in Edinburgh found Salmond not guilty of 12 charges of attempted rape, sexual assault and indecent assault after considering their verdicts for around six hours. |
| They used a unique Scottish verdict of not proven on one charge of sexual assault with intent to rape. They reached majority verdicts on all charges. | They used a unique Scottish verdict of not proven on one charge of sexual assault with intent to rape. They reached majority verdicts on all charges. |
| Salmond, 65, from Strichen, Aberdeenshire, had denied the charges involving nine women, all of whom are current or former Scottish government officials, or Scottish National party politicians. | Salmond, 65, from Strichen, Aberdeenshire, had denied the charges involving nine women, all of whom are current or former Scottish government officials, or Scottish National party politicians. |
| Speaking outside court afterwards Salmond said that his faith in the judicial system has been “much reinforced”. Thanking his friends and family for standing by him throughout the trial, he added that his own “nightmare” could not compare to the coronavirus crisis. | |
| After the verdicts were read out, he displayed little emotion but thanked court security officers and the judge Lady Dorrian. | |
| Salmond was originally charged with 14 offences but he was formally acquitted of one charge, a 10th sexual assault, after the prosecution withdrew the charge halfway through the trial. | Salmond was originally charged with 14 offences but he was formally acquitted of one charge, a 10th sexual assault, after the prosecution withdrew the charge halfway through the trial. |
| The not proven verdict on sexual assault with attempt to rape stops short of a finding of not guilty but leaves the accused innocent in the eyes of the law. Two jurors were discharged by the judge on Monday morning, reducing the size of the jury from 15 to 13. | |
| Welcoming the verdict, one key Salmond ally, Joanna Cherry MP, who came to prominence last year when she led the legal challenge to the prorogation of parliament, called for him to be allowed to rejoin the SNP without delay. “Those of us who know him, and indeed many of the thousands of people who have met him over the years, did not recognise the man described in the evidence led for the crown,” she said. | |
| She called for an independent inquiry into how the SNP dealt with the allegations, and for the forthcoming parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish government’s handling of initial sexual harassment complaints against Salmond to complete its work. | |
| Cherry added: “Some of the evidence that has come to light both in the judicial review and at this trial raise very serious questions over the process that was employed within the Scottish government to investigate the alleged complaints against Mr Salmond and I am sorry to say some of the evidence also raises serious question marks over how these complaints were handled by the SNP.” | |
| It was claimed that many of the alleged offences took place at Bute House, the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh. | |
| The jury had been told by Alex Prentice QC, as he summed up the case for the prosecution, that Salmond was a sexual predator who exploited his power to prey on younger, subordinate women. | The jury had been told by Alex Prentice QC, as he summed up the case for the prosecution, that Salmond was a sexual predator who exploited his power to prey on younger, subordinate women. |
| “This case isn’t about a plot or political conspiracy,” Prentice told them. “This is about a powerful man who abused his power to satisfy his sexual desires with impunity.” | “This case isn’t about a plot or political conspiracy,” Prentice told them. “This is about a powerful man who abused his power to satisfy his sexual desires with impunity.” |
| Gordon Jackson QC, Salmond’s advocate, rejected Prentice’s claims in his final address to the jury. He said there were no direct witnesses to the alleged assaults, and that inconsistencies and contradictions repeatedly cropped up in the testimonies and evidence. And, he alleged, there were signs some of the charges were orchestrated. | Gordon Jackson QC, Salmond’s advocate, rejected Prentice’s claims in his final address to the jury. He said there were no direct witnesses to the alleged assaults, and that inconsistencies and contradictions repeatedly cropped up in the testimonies and evidence. And, he alleged, there were signs some of the charges were orchestrated. |
| “This comes out of a political bubble with no real independent support of any kind. I said already it smelt and I don’t apologise for that one bit,” he said. “It’s the same pattern all of the time. All the time – I can’t say that strongly enough – it is the same pattern over and over and over again. It’s scary.” | “This comes out of a political bubble with no real independent support of any kind. I said already it smelt and I don’t apologise for that one bit,” he said. “It’s the same pattern all of the time. All the time – I can’t say that strongly enough – it is the same pattern over and over and over again. It’s scary.” |
| The Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said the verdicts raised serious questions for the SNP, the Scottish government and Nicola Sturgeon but that pressing for answers to them would have to be deferred while political efforts were concentrated on the coronavirus pandemic. | |
| “As we all know, Scotland is dealing with a much more severe challenge today than this high-profile court case. That said, there are now some very serious questions facing the SNP, the Scottish Government and Nicola Sturgeon. The court case may be over, but for them this is just the beginning”. | |
| “Clearly, there is still a lack of information which needs to be fully interrogated, and the Scottish Parliament inquiry will provide that opportunity. This remains a national political scandal with profound questions of integrity for the First Minister and her SNP government. | |
| “However, that opportunity must be deferred for the time being while all our efforts and resources concentrate on Covid-19.” |