The 2020 high court trial of Alex Salmond, resulted in a jury finding him innocent of all charges of sexual harassment.
The Scottish public was outraged at the glaring incompetence of the Scottish Government leadership, Legal Services, Civil Servants and the Police Force and demanded an independent judicial review, in public, over the conduct an internal inquiry into two allegations of sexual harassment against Alex Salmond, that resulted in him being paid £500.000.
Alex Cole Lib/Dem MSP and Committee member
Admitting his membership of the Parliamentary Inquiry probably raised his profile across Scotland and assisted his successful bid for the leadership of his party he said: “but whether that was good or bad I don’t know but I regret my involvement in it.”
Of the inquiry he said: “It was awful, it was tawdry. It was it was full of smoke and heat, and not a lot of light, and at the end of the day, I don’t think we achieved a great deal.
I think that it probably harmed and upset the women at the heart of it more, even more, if that’s possible. And I, I regret my involvement in it… I would rather not have been part of it.
It was high pressure. I mean, it took up so much oxygen, so much time. But also, I’d been supporting a complainer privately who approached me, and I could see what every twist and turn of it was doing to her.
And I thought, well, that must be happening to all of the women at the heart of this. And you know, I think when you realise that you’re locked into this process, which is taking twists and turns and subject to massive media speculation and intrigue and you see privately the visceral human cost of that… it was just… it was awful. I realised quite quickly what it was doing to people. And that takes its toll.”
Asked if he believed Alex Salmond should be the leader of the Alba party he said: “No. I think that’s the worst part of it. I mean, he is a man desperate to clear his reputation.
I’m not sure that he deserves that opportunity, because irrespective of court judgements, and the rest of it, this is the man who has admitted some terrible, terrible behaviour and caused a lot of upset and heartache to women who deserve to be able to move on with their lives.”
Comment:
Cole-Hamilton, who before the start of the inquiry declared himself to be an unbiased member of the Committee revealed through his aggressive questioning that his agenda was entirely biased against Alex Salmond.
A puzzle for observers until following the publication of the wishy washy conclusion of the inquiry he revealed he had been representing one of the complainants whose allegation of sexual harassment against Alex Salmond had been found, in a court of law, to be a fabrication of the truth. And Cole-Hamilton spoke with a malicious forked tongue. Alex Salmond never uttered any of the words Hamilton attributed to him.
caltonjock 
Surely admitting (after the fact) that he was in fact “supporting a complainer privately” at the same time as serving as a member on the SGHHC Committee was a conflict of interest? Especially if one of these was either of the original accusers, Ms A or Ms B in the civil case?
Anyway, it served ts purpose for this low life careerist – he got the post, salary and perks of leader of the most irrelevant party in Holyrood.
LikeLiked by 3 people
His attack on the integrity of Alex Salmond was calculated to do harm to a political opponent and his use of a shield in the guise of one of the female Civil Servants who allegedly lodged a complaint of sexual harassment is revealing
LikeLike
I didn’t finish. His abuse of the female Civil Servant he purported to aid caused her great distress since he failed to report her concerns faithfully. But I will. At no time in her initial approach to Spads employed by Nicola Sturgeon’s office and after with senior civil servants did she ever did she ever express a desire to pursue an allegation of harassment. A careful read through of confirmed events adds truth to the assertion that she and her colleague were cajoled into supporting false allegations against Alex Salmond. The distress referred to by Cole-Hamilton and others who climbed aboard the bandwagon was caused by the abuse of 2 female civil servants by their own managers and SPAD colleagues who pursued an agenda driven by the leaders of the Scottish Government and the SNP.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He’s english and has no place in our parliament. A foreign occupier. An infestation of vermin.
LikeLike
Cole Hamilton has conflated the one woman who did have a complaint with all the others who were simply not believed. We call them perjurors.
He glossed over the fact that the original had her complaint dealt with internally within the civil service ‘Fairness at work’ policy.
Her complaint was upheld and she was offered another post with no detriment to salary/ pay grade, an offer she declined and continued to work with AS for (I understand) another few years.
I assume that was an entirely satisfactory outcome for all concerned and if that isn’t the woman getting on with her life, I don’t know what is.
As you correctly point out CJ, the real damage done, was being coerced into escalating a historical complaint to a police matter by SNP officials.
Quite telling that she sought help from a member of a rival political party.
Whatever though, if Cole Hamilton was personally involved with this complainant he should have excused himself – he didn’t thereby displaying zero integrity. Interesting that he’s happy to make political capital out of the distress of the one woman concerned.
LikeLiked by 2 people