Former Scottish National Party leader Peter Murrell
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been jailed for five years and three months after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 of party funds over 12 years.Murrell, 61, the estranged husband of former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, withdrew £400,315.65 between 2010 and 2022, using the money to fund a series of personal purchases ranging from a luxury motorhome and Jaguar SUV to designer accessories, jewelery and homewares.The ruling, issued by the Supreme Court of Scotland in Edinburgh, dates back to May 25, when Morrell pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody.
“Crime of breach of trust.”
Passing sentence, Judge Lord Young described Morrell’s actions as a “calculated crime of dishonesty” involving a significant breach of trust against both the SNP and its donors.The court heard that Morrell concealed the fraud by submitting false invoices, entering false accounting codes and manipulating party accounts to disguise personal spending as legitimate party spending.Lord Young said the punishment was not only directed at Morrell, but was a warning to senior officials in other organisations.
The judge said: “One factor in the sentence I will impose today will be to act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organizations who might be tempted to abuse their positions in the way I did.”The court said that had Morrell contested the charges and gone to trial, he could have faced seven years in prison.
Luxurious spending with party money
Investigators uncovered a long list of purchases financed using SNP money. Among the most expensive homes was a luxury mobile home worth around £124,550, bought entirely with party money in 2020.
When police confiscated the car three years later, it had driven only four miles.The embezzled money was also used to buy a Jaguar SUV, a VW Golf, luxury watches, Montblanc pens, jewellery, cosmetics, gaming consoles, a coffee machine worth £3,223, a robotic lawn mower worth £3,000, and Lalique salt and pepper grinders worth around £2,600.Court documents also detailed smaller purchases including moccasins, toiletries, a set of chopsticks and even hand cream.
No clear motive has been identified
Despite a detailed forensic social work report prepared after interviews with Morrell, the court said no convincing explanation for the offending had emerged.Lord Young noted that many high-value items purchased with party funds were barely used, making it difficult to understand the motive behind the fraud.“I cannot identify any factors that caused your conviction that could be considered mitigating,” the judge said.The court was told Morrell admitted he found it impossible to stop embezzling money until his arrest.
The defense cites remorse and isolation
Murrell’s lawyer, John Scullion KC, told the court his client accepted full responsibility and acknowledged prison was the only appropriate punishment.Scullion said Morrell had felt guilt, embarrassment and shame since his arrest, and had become largely isolated from friends, colleagues and former colleagues.He described the former Scottish National Party president as a “figure of public ridicule” and his post-prison future seemed “bleak and isolated”.The defense also argued that Morrell did not pose a significant risk of reoffending.
Operation Branchform uncovered fraud
The case came to light during Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland investigation that began in 2021 after concerns were raised over the handling of more than £660,000 in donations raised for a future Scottish independence campaign.While examining the party’s finances, investigators discovered evidence that Morrell had diverted SNP funds for personal use over more than a decade.Murrell was arrested in April 2023, shortly after he resigned as chief executive of the Scottish National Party amid a separate controversy over the party’s membership figures.Searches were carried out by police at the Glasgow home he shared with Sturgeon as well as at the Scottish National Party headquarters in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon says she was ‘deceived’
Nicola Sturgeon, who was questioned during the investigation but later acquitted without charges, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Murrell’s wrongdoing.After he pleaded guilty, she said she had been “deceived” and was “absolutely horrified” by the revelations.Sturgeon said she was not aware that many of the luxury items listed in court documents were purchased using party funds and had no reason to believe they were not purchased with Morrell’s own money.
Payment procedures to follow
The court was told Morrell had sufficient personal assets to repay the money he stole from the SNP under a criminal confiscation order.However, procedures to determine the final amount the state can recover have been postponed until September. Under proceeds of crime legislation, additional costs, benefits and financial benefits derived from crime may also be taken into account.Morrell will become eligible to apply for parole after serving half of his sentence — just over two years and seven months behind bars.
