Alex Salmond tells his trial he ‘wishes he had been more careful with people’s personal space’

Former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond has said he ‘wished he had been more careful with people’s personal space’ as he started giving evidence in his trial.

Salmond took to the witness box at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday morning facing accusations of sexual assault and one of attempted rape.

The 65-year-old has 13 charges of alleged offences against nine women, all of which he denies.

He said he believes some of the allegations against him have been fabricated for political reasons.

Alex Salmond, 65, took to the witness box at the High Court in Edinburgh during his trial over accusations of sexual assault and one of attempted rape

The former politician said: ‘From where I stand now, I wish I had been more careful with people’s personal space, but there was no intention whatsoever to offend.

‘But I’m of the opinion, for a variety of reasons, that events are being reinterpreted and exaggerated out of all possible proportion.’

Asked why, Salmond said: ‘There were two reasons – one is that some, not all, are fabrications, deliberate fabrications for a political purpose. Some are exaggerations taken out of proportion.’

Salmond also said publicity over the past 18 months may have led some people to ‘quite innocently’ reassess their opinion.

But he added: ‘At least one of the charges against me on the indictment, I think there was a legitimate grievance, even if it wasn’t what actually happened and not what was presented at the time.’

The former politician faces 13 charges of alleged offences against nine women, all of which he denies

The former politician faces 13 charges of alleged offences against nine women, all of which he denies

Salmond told jurors he has never had a non-consensual relationship with a woman in his life as he was questioned about an allegation he assaulted a woman in his bedroom at Bute House, in late 2013.

He said he and a Scottish Government official, known as Woman F, had “collapsed into what I would describe as a sleepy cuddle” on a bed after they drank the Chinese spirit Maotai together.

“My left arm was underneath (the complainer), my right arm was around (her) and both her feet were still on the floor. It was not a comfortable or easy position to be in. We were side by side and we were both fully dressed.”

He explained he said sorry two weeks after the incident after the issue was raised by one of his staff.

“I apologised. I was the first minister. She was in my bedroom. We were tipsy, it shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

But asked if he had intended to rape her, Salmond said: “Not in the slightest… I have never entered into a non-consensual sexual relationship with anyone during my entire life.

“In these circumstances, I don’t even think I had an intent to cuddle. It’s something that happened in tipsy circumstances and as soon as (Woman F) made it clear, by saying, ‘it’s a bad idea,’ I snapped out of it and said, ‘it’s a very bad idea,’. We were still fully dressed.”

 Salmond is on trial over accusations of sexual assault, including an attempted rape, spanning a period between June 2008 and November 2014.

His lawyers previously lodged special defences of consent and alibi.

Consent was given as a defence for three alleged sexual assaults and an alleged indecent assault against three women.

Salmond was formally acquitted of one charge of sexual assault on Monday after the Crown offered no evidence, reducing the total from 14 charges against 10 women.

The Crown case concluded on Monday, while the trial before judge Lady Dorrian continues.

Salmond has denied claims there was a policy that prevented him being alone with female civil servants at the first minister’s official residence, Bute House.

‘No there was no policy like the one that’s been described,’ he said.

But he said there would be ‘a blurring of the normal social/professional boundaries’ in the ’24/7′ role with ‘people living out of each other’s pockets’.

Asked by his counsel Gordon Jackson QC if there were problems with female staff, Salmond said: ‘In general, no. There was an incident I was made aware of, but in general, no.’

Salmond is on trial over accusations of sexual assault, including an attempted rape, spanning a period between June 2008 and November 2014. His lawyers previously lodged special defences of consent and alibi

Salmond is on trial over accusations of sexual assault, including an attempted rape, spanning a period between June 2008 and November 2014. His lawyers previously lodged special defences of consent and alibi

Salmond agreed with his barrister, Gordon Jackson QC, that ‘things that didn’t happen’ or ‘innocent things’ had been ‘turned into sexual offences’, as he was taken through the charges against him.

He said a civil servant in the Scottish Government, who accused him of grabbing her and trying to kiss her following a meeting in Bute House in 2010, had ‘misremembered’ the incident.

Known as Woman B, she told the court on Monday Salmond had asked to recreate an image of a Christmas card design, featuring a man and a woman about to kiss beneath the mistletoe.

‘I think over the passage of time the incident is misremembered,’ he said. ‘I did say, ‘let’s recreate the Christmas card. It was a joke, it was hijinks, it was a piece of fun. It was not meant to be anything more than that.

‘She said, ‘don’t be daft,’ and we sat back down again.’

What is Alex Salmond charged with?

  • Indecent assault of a woman on various occasions in June and July 2008 in Glasgow by kissing her on the mouth and touching her buttocks and breast with his hands over her clothing.
  • Sexual assault of the same woman on an occasion in December 2010 at Ego, a nightclub in Edinburgh, by touching her arms, breasts and hips with his hands over her clothing.
  • Indecent assault of a woman on an occasion between October and November 2010 at Bute House in Edinburgh by repeatedly seizing her by her wrists and repeatedly pulling her towards him and attempting to kiss her.
  • Sexual assault of a woman in a car travelling between Holyrood Road and Waverley Station in Edinburgh on an occasion in February 2011 by touching her leg with his hand over her clothing.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on various occasions between May 2011 and June 2013 at Bute House, at the Scottish Parliament and elsewhere by touching her buttocks with his hands over her clothing, and touching and stroking her hair.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on an occasion between November and December 2013 at Bute House by kissing her on the mouth.
  • Intent to rape of the same woman on an occasion in December 2013 at Bute House by causing her to sit on a bed, lie on top of her, make sexual remarks to her, touch her buttocks, thighs and breasts over her clothing with his hands, repeatedly kiss her face, struggle with her and pull up her dress.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on an occasion in March 2012 at Ubiquitous Chip, a restaurant in Ashton Lane, Glasgow, by touching her buttocks with his hand over her clothing.
  • Sexual assault of the same woman on an occasion in April 2014 at Bute House by placing his arm around her, making sexual remarks to her and attempting to kiss her.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on an occasion in May 2014 at Bute House 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.
  • Attempted rape of the same woman on an occasion in June 2014 at Bute House by lifting her legs and placing them over his legs, repeatedly kissing her on the face and neck, placing his hand inside her upper clothing and touching her breast over her underwear, repeatedly blocking her path, pinning her against a wall, removing his clothing and underwear, pushing her on to a bed, kneeling over her, pinning her to the bed by her shoulder, lying naked on top of her and then trying to rape her.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on an occasion in September 2014 at Bute House by seizing her by her shoulders, repeatedly kissing her on the face, attempting to kiss her on the lips, and touching her leg and face with his hand.
  • Sexual assault of a woman on an occasion in November 2014 at Stirling Castle by touching her buttock with his hand over her clothing.

Salmond denies the charges and pleaded not guilty.