Police receive new sex assault complaint against Alex Salmond

Police Scotland have received a new allegation against former first minister Alex Salmond of a non-recent sexual assault.

Salmond died suddenly last month after having a heart attack while attending a conference in North Macedonia.

In 2020, he was cleared by a jury of 13 sexual offence charges, including attempted rape.

Alex Salmond's solicitor has declined to comment.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault.

"The information is being assessed.”

The force said it could not release any more information on the matter at this time.

It is unclear why the allegation has been made now.

It would not be possible to bring a prosecution in respect of Salmond himself as he is dead.

However, the police may investigate whether there is a suggestion of any other criminal offences committed by anyone else.

The Herald newspaper also reported that up to six women approached the SNP two years ago to complain about Salmond.

The newspaper said the complaints were understood to be of a sexual nature, and were taken to party executives who did not take them any further.

Quoting a "party insider" the paper said "five or six" complaints about "inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature" were reported to the party, dating back as far as the 1980s.

Salmond quit the SNP in 2018, and went on to set up an alternative independence supporting party, called Alba, of which he was the leader until he died.

The SNP told BBC Scotland News that its disciplinary processes could only be invoked against current party members.

Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny said Salmond had been cleared by a court of law, and claimed the former first minister was the victim of a smear campaign.

Mr McEleny also claimed allies of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon were behind the attacks on Salmond's character.

Salmond was cleared of sexual offence charges after a trial in 2020.

He had been charged with 13 offences, including attempted rape, but was acquitted on all counts after two weeks of evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The women who made the allegations against Salmond - which dated back to his time as first minister - had included an SNP politician, a party worker and several current and former Scottish government civil servants and officials.

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

Salmond's lawyer told the court the former first minister "could certainly have been a better man" but had not committed any crimes.

He said that his client had sometimes behaved badly, calling him "touchy-feely".

Two subsequent inquiries into the conduct of ministers and officials saw Salmond asserting his belief that many in his former party had colluded against him in an effort to block his return to frontline politics.