Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, was acquitted Monday of sexual offenses that involved accusations from nine women.
A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found Salmond, the former leader of the Scottish National Party, not guilty of 12 charges, including one count of attempted rape and several sexual assault charges.
The trial, which started on March 9, ended Monday after the jury deliberated for about six hours.
Salmond, who was first investigated by Police Scotland after two women said that he had sexually harassed them in the past, was initially charged with 14 offenses, in January 2019. He denied all the accusations.
The claims against Salmond, who led the push for Scottish independence that led to a 2014 referendum, date back to the years he was Scotland's first minister, from May 2007 to November 2014. Salmond resigned after voters rejected independence from Britain in the referendum.
He told the court that the allegations, made by a politician from the Scottish National Party, current and former civil servants, and other women, were "exaggerations" and "deliberate fabrications for a political purpose."
Speaking to journalists after his acquittal, Salmond said that his faith in Scotland's court system had been "much reinforced" and that new evidence would eventually "see the light of day," but only after the coronavirus crisis over.
"Whatever nightmare I've been in over the last two years, it is nothing compared to the nightmare that every single one of us is currently living through," Salmond said of the pandemic. He urged people to go home and take care of their families.
His acquittal was received on social media with equal measures of dismay and approval.
Rape Crisis Scotland, a nonprofit based in Glasgow, said Monday was "a really difficult day" for survivors who had been following the case. "The vast majority of survivors don't even see a courtroom, let alone justice, and today like every day we stand firm in our belief in survivors," the group said.
Others welcomed the verdict. Joanna Cherry, a lawyer and Scottish National Party lawmaker for Edinburgh South West, said she was "very pleased" that Salmond had been acquitted.
New York Times
