Alex Salmond trial witness ‘scared’ to come back ahead

A lady who has accused Alex Salmond of sexually assaulting her has advised a courtroom she was “scared” to come back ahead as a result of he was a “highly effective man”.

She stated she raised the allegations after getting “flashbacks” across the time of the #MeToo motion.

The previous Scottish authorities official, often known as Lady H, was giving proof, for a second day throughout Mr Salmond’s trial.

Mr Salmond denies finishing up a complete of 14 sexual assaults on 10 girls.

He says he’s harmless of all the allegations in opposition to him, that are alleged to have occurred whereas Mr Salmond was serving as Scotland’s first minister and the chief of the SNP.

The fees embody allegations that Mr Salmond sexually assaulted Lady H on the first minister’s official Bute Home residence in Edinburgh in Could 2014, and tried to rape her on the identical location a month later.

On Monday, Lady H advised the Excessive Courtroom in Edinburgh that she had felt “hunted” by Mr Salmond, who she claimed had “pounced on her” in June 2014, pulled her garments off, pushed her onto a mattress after which lay bare on high of her regardless of her protests.

Giving additional proof on Tuesday morning, she stated she had emailed a colleague the next day to say she wouldn’t be attending a sporting occasion with the primary minister.

The girl stated she used an arm harm she had beforehand suffered as an excuse and didn’t point out the alleged assault as a result of she was “nonetheless in shock” and had “simply tried to fake it did not occur”.

She added: “I did not talk to anybody that I had been assaulted. I requested a good friend and colleague if something had ever occurred to her as a result of I used to be attempting to determine whether or not this was a one-off like a drunken mistake because of the stress of the marketing campaign and he (Mr Salmond) had simply gone off the rails.

“I used to be attempting to make sense of what on earth had occurred. I did not go into the main points of it.”

Lady H went on to say she had advised her husband whereas they had been on vacation collectively a while later that she was contemplating chatting with SNP headquarters about some “unhealthy issues” involving Mr Salmond that had occurred to her in the course of the independence referendum marketing campaign, however had not gone into any element.

She stated: “I used to be attempting to work out if there was a course of within the celebration as a result of I used to be confused and scared and wished to be safe about speaking to anybody earlier than I did so.

“The primary minister was a really highly effective man and I did not need to get on the incorrect facet of him.”

Lady H stated she began having “flashbacks” across the time of the #MeToo motion and the Harvey Weinstein case, and that she believed the SNP was beginning to look out for circumstances of sexual harassment so the celebration may take motion.

She stated: “These points began to be mentioned and I began to have what I may describe as flashbacks. I began to come back to the realisation on the October/November 2017 interval”.

“I assumed I might name a workers member at SNP HQ who had been coping with these points, Ian McCann. I may need texted him first.”

The courtroom was proven texts despatched to Mr McCann, the place he organized a gathering and gave assurances that the processes could be confidential.

She stated the primary time she advised the complete story was when she spoke to Police Scotland.

Mr Salmond says he’s harmless of all the allegations in opposition to him, and has entered not responsible pleas to all 14 prices.