Key ally of Alex Salmond to stand trial over claims he tried to force his way into flat

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A key ally of Alex Salmond is to stand trial over claims he tried to force his way into a flat.Christopher McEleny - who serves as general secretary of Salmond's Alba Party - is accused of shouting, swearing and acting in an aggressive manner during the alleged incident, in Greenock, InverclydeThe case against the 36-year-old called for the first time at Greenock Sheriff Court yesterday (FRI).McEleny - who denies all the allegations - did not appear in court with solicitor Gerry Keenan acting on his behalf.Prosecutors claim he shouted, swore, repeatedly kicked and banged a door and acted in an aggressive manner towards a man in the town’s Kelly Street.He is also said to have repeatedly demanded entry to the property in question and threatened to force his way inside.The charges allege he behaved in a threatening or abusive way, which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.McEleny, who is also a former SNP group leader within Inverclyde Council, also denies a second charge of malicious mischief.

It’s claimed he caused damage to a door handle by trying to force it open on the day in question - Sunday, September 26, 2021.McEleny was previously a member of the SNP’s executive body and stood for deputy leader under Nicola Sturgeon.But he defected to rejoin former First Minister Salmond’s new party in 2021, where he took up the role of general secretary.He said he left the SNP as he “genuinely believes it’s what’s best for delivering Scotland’s independence”.He is due to stand trial in June. Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here. Scots dad died