Picture copyright PA Media Alex Salm
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PA Media
Alex Salmond has denied claims that feminine civil servants weren’t allowed to work alone with him whereas he was Scotland’s first minister.
The previous SNP chief was talking as he gave proof from the witness field on the Excessive Court docket in Edinburgh.
His trial has heard that the civil service took steps in 2014 to forestall him being left alone with ladies in his Bute Home residence.
However Mr Salmond insisted that “there was no coverage” like that.
He additionally claimed that a number of the allegations made towards him have been “deliberate fabrications for a political function” whereas others have been “exaggerations” of what had really occurred.
Mr Salmond denies 13 costs of sexual assault towards 9 ladies.
The alleged offences are all mentioned to have occurred when he was serving as Scotland’s first minister.
Mr Salmond was cleared of an additional cost of sexual assault towards a 10th girl after it was dropped by the Crown when the prosecution case ended on Monday afternoon.
Giving proof in his personal defence on Tuesday morning, Mr Salmond mentioned he had been surrounded by a big staff of civil servants when he was first minister.
He mentioned the working atmosphere was very totally different to different areas of the civil service as there was an “informality” and a “blurring of the traditional social-professional boundaries”.
He mentioned this was as a result of it was a high-pressure, 24/7 operation the place individuals have been “dwelling out of one another’s pockets”.
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Defence lawyer Gordon Jackson QC is representing Mr Salmond
The court docket was instructed on Monday by civil servants Chis Birt and Michael McIlhenny that steps have been taken to forestall ladies having to work alone with the primary minister after two feminine colleagues complained about alleged incidents involving Mr Salmond.
However Mr Birt mentioned he didn’t imagine the coverage was ever formally written down.
When requested by his lawyer Gordon Jackson QC whether or not he had been conscious of such a coverage, Mr Salmond replied: “No I used to be not. There was no coverage just like the one described.”
Mr Salmond says he’s harmless of all of the allegations towards him.
He has entered not responsible pleas to all 13 of the costs which he nonetheless faces, which embody one cost of tried rape, one in all sexual assault with intent to rape, 9 sexual assaults and two indecent assaults.