Who is Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond?
ALEX Salmond is the former First Minister of Scotland.
A new ITV Tonight show special is on this evening (August 17, 2020) at 9pm and will look at his trial where he was acquitted of sexual assault.
Who is Alex Salmond?
Alex Salmond is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from May 2007 to November 2014.
He resigned as First Minister after failing in his bid to persuade Scots to vote for independence in a referendum.
Mr Salmond won election to the House of Commons in 2015, but went on to lose his seat to Tory Colin Clarke in 2017.
He now works as a TV presenter for Russia Today.
When did Alex Salmond resign from the Scottish National Party?
Alex, who consistently denied sexually assaulting women while he was First Minister, tweeted his resignation on August 29, 2018.
In a statement at that time, he said: “I truly love the SNP and the wider independence movement in Scotland. They have been the defining commitment of my life.
“But today I have written to the National Secretary of the Party resigning my membership.
“So let me be clear again. I absolutely reject any suggestion of criminality.”
What was Alex Salmond accused of?
Mr Salmond was accused of sexual offences against ten women while he was serving as First Minister of Scotland.
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on 12 charges and returned a not proven verdict on a charge of sexual assault with intent to rape.
Mr Salmond denied the 13 alleged sexual offences against nine women, who were all either working for the Scottish Government or within the SNP at the time.
A further charge of sexually assaulting a 10th woman had previously been dropped by prosecutors.
The accusations spanned a period between June 2008 and November 2014.
Mr Salmond claimed that these allegations were “deliberate fabrications for a political purpose” throughout the trial.
Police began an investigation following a Scottish government inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment against Mr Salmond.
He was first arrested and charged by Police Scotland in relation to the allegations in January 2019.
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 for Mr Salmond’s legal expenses.
What was Alex Salmond aquitted of?
Alex Salmond was acquitted of 12 counts of sexual misconduct with a further count was found not proven
Mr Salmond was accused of:
- An attempted rape in June 2014 at the first minister’s official Bute House residence in Edinburgh where he is alleged to have pinned a woman against a wall, taken off her clothes and his own, before allegedly pushing her onto a bed and lying naked on top of her.
- Indecently assaulting a woman on a number of occasions in Glasgow in June and July 2008 by kissing her and touching her buttocks and breasts over her clothing
- Sexually assaulting the same woman in December 2010 or December 2011 in the Ego nightclub in Edinburgh.
- Indecently assaulting a woman in October or November 2010 at Bute House by repeatedly grabbing her wrists, pulling her towards him and trying to kiss her
- Sexually assaulting a woman in a car in Edinburgh in February 2011 by touching her leg with his hand over her clothing
- Sexually assaulting a woman on various occasions between 2011 and 2013 at Bute House, the Scottish Parliament and other locations by touching her buttocks, stroking her arms, and touching and stroking her hair
- Sexually assaulting a woman at Bute House in October 2013 by removing her shoe, stroking her foot, and attempting to kiss her foot
- Sexually assaulting a woman at Bute House in November or December 2013 by kissing her on the mouth
- Intending to rape the same woman in December 2013 at Bute House by causing her to sit on a bed, lying on top of her and making sexual remarks
- Sexually assaulting a woman in 2012 at the Ubiquitous Chip restaurant in Glasgow by touching her buttocks with his hand over her clothing
- Sexually assaulting 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 assaulting 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 and repeatedly kissing her on the face and neck.
- Sexually assaulting a woman at Bute House in September 2014 by seizing her shoulders, repeatedly kissing her face, attempting to kiss her on the lips and touching her leg and face
- Sexually assaulting a woman at Stirling Castle in November 2014 by touching her buttock with his hand over her clothing
Who is Alwex Salmond wife?
Alex Salmond married Moira McGlashan in 1981.
They met in the 1970s when Moira – who is 17 years older than him – was his boss at the Scottish Office in London.
The pair live in a converted mill in Strichen, near Aberdeen.
Mrs Salmond keeps a low profile, and did not make a single speech in her time as First Wife.
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