ALEX Salmond is considering taking legal action following a BBC documentary about his trial.
The former First Minister is understood to be consulting with his lawyers on what action, if any, he will take against the BBC after a programme aired last week covering the events leading up to and following his trial for sexual assault and attempted rape.
The ex-SNP leader was found not guilty of 11 sexual assault charges, and one of attempted rape, by a jury in March.
One charge was not proven.
READ MORE: Opinion: Iain Macwhirter: The jury found him innocent but Alex Salmond is still on trial
Since then some of the women involved in the trial have spoken out about the impact of the verdict on them and their views on their experiences with the former First Minister.
Several women also appeared in the documentary anonymously, discussing how the verdicts in the trial against Salmond had a negative effect on them, with one woman saying it was like being punched in the stomach.
Another woman said they had questioned whether the jury were going to "do the right thing” during the trial, with some suggesting this implied they had not by finding Mr Salmond not guilty.
A source close to the former SNP leader described the documentary as “diabolical”, and said discussions were ongoing with Salmond’s legal team over what action they would take following its airing.
One of the routes thought to be being considered is legal action, however it is more likely Mr Salmond would submit a formal complaint against the national broadcaster.
The BBC, however, stand by the programme, and say that Mr Salmond declined to take part and insist other senior SNP figures were featured in the show.
READ MORE: The Trial of Alex Salmond, BBC2, review
The broadcaster is also understood to have received dozens of complaints about the documentary.
Veteran SNP member and former deputy leader of the party Jim Sillars has also questioned the impartiality of the programme, and said: “Why would he have any faith in the complaints process of an organisation which has shown such bad faith, not to mention such sloppy, biased journalism purporting to be impartial when it clearly isn’t?”
Following its airing last week, SNP councillor Chris McEleny took to social media to voice his concerns about it.
He said it was a “documentary that omitted the defence evidence and attempted a retrial by TV by only presenting the side the jury rejected”
READ MORE: The Trial of Alex Salmond: BBC confirm it pulled show from iPlayer to make a 'small change'
A spokesman for the BBC said: ‘The programme is an accurate and fair reflection of events and we stand by it. This is a current affairs programme examining a major story about the former First Minister of Scotland.
“Alex Salmond was approached by the programme and did not respond to requests. Substantial figures including Jim Sillars and Kenny MacAskill were featured in the programme. The outcome of the trial was fairly reflected in the programme and would have been known to everyone watching.”
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