The lawyer who defended Alex Salmond has been banned from practice for 15 weeks over comments he made during the former first minister’s sex assault trial.
Gordon Jackson KC was captured on mobile phone footage discussing the case on a Glasgow to Edinburgh train in 2020.
The footage showed Jackson making remarks about Salmond, as well as identifying two of his client’s accusers.
Jackson, a former Labour MSP, led Salmond’s successful defence against 13 sexual offence charges in the High Court.
The former first minister was cleared of all charges by the jury – found not guilty on 12 counts, including an attempted rape charge, and not proven on a single count of sexual assault with intent to rape.
The Faculty of Advocates concluded that Jackson had committed a “serious and reprehensible departure from professional standards”.
The decision of the Faculty’s Disciplinary Tribunal stated: “Mr Jackson named two complainers in a public place in which other members of the public were present during a discussion about the Salmond trial. He did so openly and afforded a member of the public the opportunity to record the conversation on a mobile phone.
“FV herself stated that she was shocked by Mr Jackson’s conduct. In compromising the anonymity of complainers in what was a highly public trial in the knowledge that the court had made an order to secure anonymity was, in our view, a serious and reprehensible departure from professional standards with which all advocates must comply.”
The disciplinary tribunal has taken a number of years to conclude due to appeals by Jackson, which saw the sanction cut from five months to 15 weeks.
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