Private messages around Alex Salmond legal case will not be published

The text of private messages between those involved in the legal case against Alex Salmond will not be published, the Scottish Parliament’s committee on the government’s handling of harassment complaints has said.

The committee was given access to additional material from the Crown Office on Friday after issuing an unprecedented notice compelling it to do so.

MSPs asked for the release of texts and WhatsApp messages, as well as documents relevant to the circumstances in which details of the sexual harassment complaints were leaked to the Daily Record in August 2018.

Having reviewed the material at a meeting today, committee convener Linda Fabiani said members had unanimously agreed not to put private messages into the public domain.

She said: “These communications included numerous chains of private messages between different women in what we are clear were safe spaces for confidential support.

“The committee is clear that publication and further consideration of this material is not relevant to the committee’s work or necessary to fulfil its remit.

“We will not publish any of these messages as we are clear that we will not do anything that may cause further unnecessary distress to any women.”

Rape Crisis Scotland has published a statement on behalf of the women whose messages were requested by the committee, expressing concern both that the committee made the request in the first place and the Crown proceeded to share this information.

The statement said: “We are deeply disappointed that the committee saw fit to request messages between people identified by the police and the Crown as victims of sexual harassment, some of whose identities are protected by a court order. We have no doubt that members of the committee knew that vulnerable witnesses were involved when they made the request.

“We are also deeply disturbed that the Crown has felt it appropriate to break the trust we placed in it. Having been let down by the Crown Office, we feel this unnecessary act will have done serious damage to progress made over the last few years in sexual assault cases. We urge the Crown to consider the grave consequences of their actions, and are actively considering further options.”

Last year, a jury found Salmond not guilty of 12 sexual assault charges, while another charge was found not proven.