Police are investigating a fresh allegation of sexual assault against Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland.

A woman reported the alleged incident, said to be “non-recent”, to Police Scotland, shortly after Mr Salmond died, aged 69, last month, while attending a conference in North Macedonia.

It has also emerged that up to six women approached the Scottish National Party more than two years ago, to lodge complaints about Mr Salmond’s behaviour.

The complaints, said to be of a sexual nature, are believed to have been reported to Ian McCann, the party’s compliance officer, who was responsible for disciplinary issues.

They were said to have been brought to the attention of the SNP’s then-chief executive Peter Murrell but were not taken any further.

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An SNP spokesperson said: “SNP disciplinary processes can only be invoked against current SNP members.”

The SNP is bracing itself for the possibility of more women coming forward, claiming to have been victims of the former party leader’s unwanted sexual advances.

It is claimed those closest to the leader often warned young female MSPs and MPs, party workers and civil servants not to allow themselves to be left alone with him.

A senior party insider said: “Around two years ago, five or six complaints of inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature were reported to the party and went as far as Peter Murrell.

“The allegations date as far back as the 1980s, including in Alex’s Banff and Buchan constituency.

“Because Alex was no longer a party member, or an employee of the party – and therefore no longer subject to its disciplinary procedures – it was felt that there was nowhere for an internal investigation to go.”

Mr Salmond walked free from Edinburgh’s High Court in March 2020, after being cleared of 14 counts of sexual assault and attempted rape.

(Image: free) At the time of his death, he was in the midst of suing the Scottish Government for its botched handling of complaints against him.

The Scottish Government had pledged to vigorously contest the legal action. Prior to the trial, Scotland had anticipated a major #MeToo moment. Instead, a partisan row engulfed the nationalist movement, fuelled by debates about the trial’s initiation, who was to blame, and whether justice was secondary to internal SNP conflicts.

A source close to the party said that shortly before the trial, a complaint was made by a female MP who claimed that Mr Salmond groped her while they were posing for a photoshoot.

The source said: “She was shocked, traumatised and angry but she didn’t go to the police because she didn’t want to do anything that might prejudice the trial.

“She believed she would get justice, indirectly, through the trial but the jury saw things differently.”

Another source said: “I can’t begin to describe the shock and bewilderment inside the party when Alex was cleared of all charges.

“While no-one could argue with the verdict – he was judged and cleared by a jury of his peers – it arguably acted as a break on anyone else coming forward with fresh allegations, until now.

“Alex was a powerful and litigious figure and there’s a belief within the party that some women might not have come forward because they were scared of challenging him and the political establishment surrounding him.”   

The trial irrevocably fractured Mr Salmond’s relationship with Nicola Sturgeon, his former protégé, successor, and closest ally.

Their conflict predated the charges, stemming from Sturgeon’s approval of a government inquiry into allegations of Mr Salmond’s sexual misconduct. Flawed from the outset – an HR officer pre-emptively contacted complainants – the procedures were judicially reviewed, resulting in Mr Salmond receiving more than £500,00 in legal costs.

Sturgeon admitted five meetings with Mr Salmond about the case including private meetings at her home, arranged by chief of staff Liz Lloyd.

The fatal blow to their relationship came from permanent secretary Leslie Evans’s decision to forward the inquiry’s findings to Police Scotland, triggering the criminal investigation.

Prior to the trial, Mr Salmond’s QC Gordon Jackson said the Scottish Government had egg on its face and that Mr Salmond had been “publicly vindicated” by the judicial review.

Alleging a political conspiracy, Jackson claimed the government aimed to discredit Mr Salmond, citing a text send by Evans in which she wrote: “We may have lost the battle, but we will win the war.”

He highlighted Police Scotland’s refusal to use the flawed government inquiry as a basis for its investigation, noting the “close involvement” of Sturgeon’s office, without accusing her of wrongdoing.

Lady Dorrian, the presiding judge, dismissed these arguments, deeming the judicial review irrelevant to the trial’s merits and stating the inquiry’s flaws didn’t invalidate the allegations.

Concerns about the evidence’s weakness persisted. Despite numerous complaints from 10 women, the police interviewed more than 300 people.

Charges included removing a woman’s shoe, touching a foot and knee, and a request for a mistletoe-kiss reenactment. One was dropped.

Mr Salmond’s defence argued his actions were non-sexual, part of “office culture” banter, and that the women consented. Jackson concluded his client wasn’t always exemplary but insisted on his innocence.

Following his acquittal, Mr Salmond hinted at unreleased evidence, delaying its release due to the Covid pandemic, suggesting a future disclosure of information implicating individuals he believes acted as provocateurs, encouraging false accusations, and exaggerating details to strengthen the case against him.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault. The information is being assessed.”

Mr Salmond’s solicitor was approached for comment.