Alex Salmond has appeared in court charged with carrying out a series of sexual offences against 10 women while serving as Scotland’s first minister.
Mr Salmond faced a total of 14 charges at the High Court in Edinburgh.
He denies all the allegations, which include one attempted rape, one intent to rape, 10 sexual assaults and two indecent assaults.
The offences are alleged to have happened between June 2008 and November 2014.
His QC, Gordon Jackson, said Mr Salmond was pleading not guilty, and judge Lady Dorrian set the trial date for 9 March next year.
The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
Mr Salmond served as first minister between 16 May 2007 and 20 November 2014.
Speaking outside court after the brief hearing, Mr Salmond said he was innocent of the charges against him, and would defend himself “vigorously” during the trial.
He added: “The only proper place to answer criminal charges is in this court, and that is exactly what I intend to do next spring.”
What is Mr Salmond accused of?
The attempted rape is said to have happened in June 2014 at the first minister’s official Bute House residence in Edinburgh. He is alleged to have pushed a woman against a wall and to have removed her clothes and his own, before pushing her onto a bed and lying naked on top of her.
The other 13 charges allege that the 64-year-old former SNP leader:
- Indecently assaulted a woman on a number of occasions in Glasgow in June and July 2008 by kissing her on the mouth and touching her buttocks and breasts with his hands over her clothing
- Sexually assaulted the same woman in December 2010 or December 2011 in the Ego nightclub in Edinburgh by touching her arms and hips with his hands over her clothing
- Indecently assaulted a woman in October or November 2010 at Bute House by repeatedly seizing her by the wrists and repeatedly pulling her towards him and attempting to kiss her
- Sexually assaulted a woman in a car in Edinburgh in February 2011 by touching her leg with his hand over her clothing
- Sexually assaulted a woman on various occasions between 2011 and 2013 at Bute House, the Scottish Parliament and other locations by touching her buttocks with his hands over her clothing, stroking her arms, and touching and stroking her hair
- Sexually assaulted a woman at Bute House in October 2013 by removing her foot from her shoe, stroking her foot, lifting her foot towards his mouth and attempting to kiss her foot
- Sexually assaulted a woman at Bute House in November or December 2013 by kissing her on the mouth
- Intended to rape the same woman in December 2013 at Bute House by causing her to sit on a bed, lying on top of her, making sexual remarks to her, touching her buttocks, thighs and breasts over her clothing with his hands, repeatedly kissing her face, struggling with her and pulling up her dress
- Sexually assaulted a woman in 2012 at the Ubiquitous Chip restaurant in Glasgow by touching her buttocks with his hand over her clothing
- Sexually assaulted the same woman at Bute House in April 2014 by placing his arm around her, making sexual remarks to her and attempting to kiss her
- Sexually assaulted a woman at Bute House in May 2014 by placing his arm around her body, placing his hand under her clothing and underwear and touching her breast, repeatedly kissing her on the face and neck and stroking her leg with his hand
- Sexually assaulted a woman at Bute House in September 2014 by seizing her by the shoulders, repeatedly kissing her on the face, attempting to kiss her on the lips and touching her leg and face with his hand
- Sexually assaulted a woman at Stirling Castle in November 2014 by touching her buttock with his hand over her clothing
Police began an investigation following a Scottish government inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment against Mr Salmond.
Mr Salmond launched a judicial review against the government over how it had handled its inquiry, saying he had been treated unfairly.
The government later conceded its procedures had been flawed and paid out more than £500,000 in Mr Salmond’s legal expenses.
Alex Salmond’s political career
- He was twice leader of the SNP, and led the party into government at Holyrood in 2007
- Mr Salmond left office after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, with his former deputy Nicola Sturgeon taking his place in Bute House
- He returned to Westminster as an MP the following year, but lost his Gordon seat in the snap election in 2017
- Mr Salmond has since worked as a talk show host on Russian network RT
- He quit the SNP when launching his legal action against the Scottish government in 2018
Source: bbc.co.uk
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