A FORMER ambassador who "relished" identifying complainants against Alex Salmond has handed himself in to the police.

Craig Murray, who is due to begin an eight-month jail term for blog posts he made during the trial of the former First Minister, appeared at a police station in Edinburgh this morning surrounded by supporters.

The 62-year-old posed for photographs alongside his wife and baby son, and joked that the station appeared to be locked.

The Herald:

He also drank from what looked like a bottle of champagne outside the St Leonard’s police station.

Mr Murray said on Friday he would go to jail with a "clean conscience" after a judge ruled he had committed contempt of court

READ MORE: Craig Murray who ‘relished’ identifying Alex Salmond complainers will go to jail with ‘clean conscience’

At a virtual sentencing in May, Lady Dorrian said Mr Murray knew there were court orders giving the women who complained against Mr Salmond anonymity and he was “relishing” the potential disclosure of their identities.

The Herald:

Mr Salmond was acquitted of all 13 charges including sexual assault and attempted rape in May last year.

Lady Dorrian said Mr Murray deliberately risked what is known as “jigsaw identification”, saying: “It appears from the posts and articles that he was in fact relishing the task he set himself, which was essentially to allow the identities of complainers to be discerned – which he thought was in the public interest – in a way which did not attract sanction.”