Alex Salmond cleared of all sexual assault charges

Alex Salmond has been cleared of sexually assaulting nine women while he was Scotland’s first minister.

A jury found the former SNP leader not guilty on 12 of the sexual assault charges facing him, while another was found not proven.

A further charge of sexually assaulting a 10th woman had previously been dropped by prosecutors.

Mr Salmond had said he was innocent of all the charges against him throughout the two-week trial.

The women who made the allegations against Mr Salmond included an SNP politician, a party worker and several current and former Scottish government civil servants and officials.

During his evidence to the court, he said the claims made about his alleged conduct were “deliberate fabrications for a political purpose” or “exaggerations”.

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And he said he had “never attempted to have non-consensual sexual relations with anyone in my entire life”.

Speaking outside court after his acquittal, Mr Salmond told journalists: “As many of you will know, there is certain evidence I would have liked to have seen led in this trial but for a variety of reasons we were not able to do so.

“At some point, that information, that facts and that evidence will see the light of day.”

He also said his faith in the Scottish legal system had been “much reinforced”, and thanked his legal team and everyone else who had supported him.

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Mr Salmond added: “Whatever nightmare I have been through over the last two years it is as nothing compared to the situation we are all going through.

“If you can, go home, take care of your families, God help us all.”

The jury returned not guilty verdicts on 12 of the charges, including one of attempted rape, and returned a not proven verdict on a charge of sexual assault with intent to rape.

The not proven verdict is an unusual and highly controversial feature of the Scottish legal system which in practice is exactly the same as a verdict of not guilty.

The charges were all alleged to have happened while Mr Salmond was serving as Scotland’s first minister, with several alleged to have happened at the first minister’s official Bute House residence in Edinburgh.

Mr Salmond was first minister between May 2007 and November 2014, when he stood down in the wake of the Scottish independence referendum and was replaced by Nicola Sturgeon.

What did the trial hear?