The Scottish Government has admitted that it did not follow correct procedure when dealing with accusations of sexual harrassment against former First Minister Alex Salmond.

The government has accepted that it acted outwith its own guidelines by appointing the case to an individual who had "prior involvement" with the allegations, which Salmond denies.

It has now accepted legal defeat as a result.

READ: Full statement from Scottish Government on Salmond court case

The admission was made during a Court of Session in Edinburgh on Tuesday morning.

Roddy Dunlop QC, the Scottish Government's lawyer, told the court that the investigating officer was a "dedicated HR professional" who acted in good faith.

However, they did have some contact with the complainers prior to being appointed. Dunlop accepted that this was a "failure".

But he denied that the officer had effectively been "assisting the complainers", as has been claimed by Salmond's legal team.

This result will have no bearing on the seperate police inquiry into the allegations themselves, which is still ongoing. It does mean that a scheduled four-day hearing for next week will no longer go ahead, though.

Salmond, who has been both an MP and an MSP, had been a member of the party for 45 years when he resigned, saying he was giving up his membership to avoid any potential divisions within the party.

He was party leader for 20 years over that period, with two decade-long spells in the job. He also became Scotland's longest serving first minister.