Fife MSP's widower cleared of attack on woman in St Andrews

Robert Eadie, 74, was alleged to have launched a violent attack on St Andrews university PhD student Khadija Alia Bah-Wakefield (60) whom he had romanced after meeting her on a dating site earlier this year.

Eadie, whose Labour MSP wife Helen died in November 2013, turned up at Miss Wakefield’s home in St Andrews on a Sunday afternoon after returning from a trip to Russia.

Miss Wakefield told a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court that after they had met she had resisted his attempts to sleep with her until she believed she could “trust” him and that the relationship was “going somewhere”.

But then he told her he had slept with another woman while on holiday.

Miss Wakefield told a court she had responded: “Was I just your black woman experience?

“He said ‘we met on a website - what do you expect?’ He then said something really upsetting and I reached out and slapped him.”

Mr Eadie’s lawyer claimed though that she had been far more forceful, and asked: “Did you in fact say ‘white pig, did you just want to be with an African woman?

Miss Wakefield replied: “I would never use such language – I am too educated for that.”

That sparked an altercation that she alleged involved him pushing her, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her down.

But Mr Eadie’s lawyer claimed there had only been a struggle after she blocked his path to the front door as he tried to leave.

Miss Wakefield admitted she had slapped Mr Eadie.

Mr Eadie of Hopeward Mews, Dalgety Bay, was found not guilty following the one-day trial.

Helen Eadie died after a short battle with cancer.