Scotland's ex-First Minister Alex Salmond charged with attempted rape

The 64-year-old former leader of the ruling Scottish National Party was accused last year of two instances of inappropriate behavior dating back to 2013.</s>Alex Salmond, former first minister of Scotland, leaves an Edinburgh court after being charged with 14 crimes, including two attempted rapes Times photographer James Glossop

Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, was charged yesterday with two attempted rapes and multiple sexual assaults.

Mr Salmond, 64, faces 14 charges, including two of indecent assault, nine of sexual assault and one of breach of the peace. The former Scottish National Party leader made no plea during a hearing at Edinburgh sheriff court, which lasted less than five minutes.

Outside court, Mr Salmond said: “I refute absolutely the allegation of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court. I have got great faith in the court system of Scotland. I have got recent cause to have great faith in the court system of Scotland; that is where I will state my case.” He added that he would “like…</s>Alex Salmond charged with two attempted rapes and nine sexual assaults

Alex Salmond charged with two attempted rapes and nine sexual assaults

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has been charged with two counts of attempted rape and multiple counts of sexual assault.

He faces charges more than 14 allegations, Scotland's prosecuting office said, including two attempted rapes, nine sexual assaults, two indecent assaults and one breach of the peace.

Mr Salmond said he was "innocent of any criminality whatsoever" as he appeared in court in Edinburgh after being arrested and charged by police.

He added: "The only thing I can say is I refute, absolutely, these allegations of criminality and i'll defend myself to the utmost in court.

"I've got great faith in the court system in Scotland... that is where I will state my case."

Police Scotland has been investigating sexual misconduct complaints from two women against the former Scottish National Party leader that date back to 2013 when he was first minister.

In an earlier statement, Police Scotland said: "We can confirm a 64 year-old man has been arrested and charged and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal."

Mr Salmond also told reporters outside the Edinburgh Sheriff Court that he had attended a police station on Wednesday.

"I was released on condition that I came to the court today to face the charges against me - that I have now done," he said.

Mr Salmond won a case earlier this month against the Scottish government over the handling of its investigation into the misconduct complaints, which a court said was "procedurally unfair and... tainted with apparent bias".

The 64-year-old served two terms as SNP leader, totalling more than 20 years, and was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014.</s>LONDON — Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for years led a campaign for Scottish independence, has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted rape and several counts of sexual assault, a public prosecutor said on Thursday.

He was released on bail after a brief initial court appearance Thursday afternoon. The hearing was held in private.

Outside the court in Edinburgh on Thursday, Mr. Salmond said to reporters: “I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality, and I’ll defend myself to the utmost in court.”

Police Scotland began investigating Mr. Salmond, 64, after the Scottish government looked into complaints by two women who said he had sexually harassed them several years ago, an accusation he denies. The outcome of the government’s inquiry was not made public.</s>Latest: Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has appeared in court charged with attempted rape and sexual assault.

Mr Salmond faced a total of 14 charges when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

He was charged with two counts of attempted rape, nine counts of sexual assault, two of indecent assault and one breach of the peace.

After a brief hearing, which was held in private, he said: "Now that these proceedings are live it is even more important to respect the court and therefore the only thing I can say is I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court.

"I've got great faith in the court system in Scotland."

He made no plea during the hearing and was released on bail.

Mr Salmond was arrested yesterday after attending a police station in central Scotland.

He was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014 and resigned his membership of the SNP in August 2018.

Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has been arrested and charged by police.

The 64-year-old has been arrested by Police Scotland.

No further details of the charge have been released by the force.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.

“Proceedings are now live under the contempt of court act.”

Mr Salmond, from Linlithgow, West Lothian, was the Scottish first minister from 2007 to 2014.</s>Scotland's front pages are, understandably, dominated by the news that former first minister Alex Salmond has been arrested and charged with two attempted rapes. All make clear that he strongly denies all the charges.

The papers tell how Mr Salmond appeared on petition at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

They outline all of the charges against him, including nine alleged sexual assaults, two alleged indecent assaults and one alleged breach of the peace.</s>FORMER Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has appeared in court charged with attempted rape and sexual assault.

FORMER Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has appeared in court charged with attempted rape and sexual assault.

Mr Salmond faced a total of 14 charges when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

He was charged with two counts of attempted rape, nine counts of sexual assault, two of indecent assault and one breach of the peace.

After a brief hearing, which was held in private, he said: "Now that these proceedings are live it is even more important to respect the court and therefore the only thing I can say is I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court.

"I've got great faith in the court system in Scotland."

He made no plea during the hearing and was released on bail.

Mr Salmond was arrested on Wednesday after attending a police station in central Scotland.

From Linlithgow, West Lothian, was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014.

He resigned his membership of the SNP in August 2018.

Mr Salmond guided the party to a narrow Scottish election win in 2007 and then led a minority government as he became Scotland's first SNP First Minister.

In the 2011 election, he led the party to an unprecedented victory with a majority win, meaning the SNP's manifesto pledge to hold an independence referendum could be delivered.

But the result of the 2014 referendum - a 55% to 45% vote to stay in the UK - led to him stepping down as first minister and SNP leader.</s>The former leader of Scotland, Alex Salmond, was charged in court Thursday with multiple counts of sexual assault and two of attempted rape.

Details of the charges were not released, including the names of the alleged victims.

Salmond, 64, served as leader of the Scottish government for seven years. He resigned as first minister after his side lost the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. He led the Scottish National Party for 20 years.

Salmond lost his seat in Parliament in 2017 and has been working as a radio talk show host.

After exiting a closed session at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Salmond said, “I am innocent of any criminality whatsoever . . . I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality, and I will defend myself to the utmost in court.”

Salmond said, “You know me well enough to know that I'd love to say a great deal more but I have got to observe the rules of the court, and in court is where I will state my case.”

The Times of London reported that the charges arose from a four-month government investigation into allegations of sexual harassment by two women dating back to 2013 when Salmond was first minister.

Speaking earlier in the day, the current first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, said, “Obviously this news this morning will be a shock to many people. But as Police Scotland have made clear this morning these are now live criminal proceedings. That means now, more than ever, it would be completely inappropriate for me or anybody else for that matter to make any comment on the situation.”

Before Thursday’s charges, Salmond was known for his mastery of electoral and parliamentary politics, his keen interest in horse-racing, support for sustainable energy and Scottish independence.

Alex Salmond quits after dream of independence gets crushed

Why Scotland’s independence leader Alex Salmond inspires so much anger

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news</s>Alex Salmond has said he is “innocent of any criminality” and will “defend himself to the utmost” after the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service filed 14 charges against him.

The former First Minister was charged with two counts of attempted rape, nine counts of sexual assault under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 S3, two counts of indecent assault, and one count of breach of peace.

Salmond made no formal plea in court during the petition hearing, which was held in private, and was released on bail pending further examination.

A date for the next court appearance has yet to be set.</s>Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two counts of attempted rape.

Salmond faces 14 charges in total, including two counts of indecent assault and one count of breach of the peace, t he BBC reported.

Salmond appeared in a closed session of Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday afternoon. He said outside the court that he was "innocent of any criminality" and that he would "defend himself to the utmost in court," Scotland's Daily Record newspaper reported.

Salmond said that he was unable to comment further outside of the courtroom. He made no plea during the hearing and was released on bail, according to the BBC.

Police Scotland had been investigating Salmond, who resigned as first minister in 2014, over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.

He was accused in August of sexual misconduct with two female staff members while in office. He then called the allegations "patently ridiculous."

He won a legal challenge against the Scottish government in January after the government admitted that it had acted unlawfully against him.
Former Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond is charged with two attempted rapes and indecent assault.