Former SNP chief Peter Murrell sentenced to more than five years for embezzling party funds

Summary

Peter Murrell is sentenced to five years and three months after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP
The party's former chief executive showed little reaction, staring straight ahead, before being led away in handcuffs, writes our Scotland editor
Judge Lord Young says Murrell's actions amount to a "significant breach of trust", and his position in the party meant he was able to "circumvent checks and balances"
Murrell, 61, used the funds to buy goods ranging from cars to kitchenware and toiletries, between 2010 and 2022
Among the purchases was a £124,550 motorhome, which was seized three years later from his mother's house with just four miles on the clock
Use our interactive tool to see what else Murrell bought
Ahead of the judge's sentencing remarks, the court heard that there are sufficient funds for Murrell to repay the embezzled sum

Live Reporting

Edited by Paul McLaren, with James Cook and Paul O'Hare reporting from the High Court in Edinburgh

How former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell spent the £400,000 he embezzledpublished at 10:48 BST
Image source, COPFS
The court previously published 125 pages of documents detailing Murrell's purchases.
BBC Scotland’s data visualisation team has published a searchable database of the items he bought with SNP money from 2010 to 2022.
The largest single transaction, in 2020, was £124,550 for a luxury motorhome paid for entirely with party funds.
Murrell was accused of creating false documents to disguise the payment as a legitimate party expense.
His first major purchase, a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf, was made in early 2016 using £16,489 of SNP money.
He used £57,500 of party cash to buy a Jaguar I-PACE car in 2019, and sold it for £47,378.76 two years later.
Murrell also used SNP funds to purchase two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350, a £4,225 Starwalker World Time fountain pen and a £3,500 Hamilton and Inches silver wine coaster.
Murrell leaves the dock after he is jailed for more than five yearspublished at 10:46 BST

Scottish Conservatives say Sturgeon and Swinney 'enabled' Murrellpublished at 10:45 BST
Russell Findlay has accused John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon of “enabling” Peter Murrell’s embezzlement from the SNP.
The Scottish Conservative leader said those who raised concerns about the party’s finances had been “warned” about doing so, allowing Murrell’s theft to continue.
He said Murrell got away with a “brazen and large-scale crime spree”.
Findlay added: “It’s no wonder that Swinney is so desperate to thwart an inquiry which would examine many issues, including whether public money was stolen.”
WATCH AGAIN: Judge says it remains unclear why Murrell caried out the embezzlementpublished at 10:40 BST

Campaigner looking at a legal action against Sturgeonpublished at 10:37 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland, at the High Court in Edinburgh
Clerkin says he is looking at three further legal options.
The first is a private prosecution, in England or Scotland, against Nicola Sturgeon - who was told by police last March that she was no longer under investigation.
The second is a class action on behalf of those who donated money to the party.
And the third is to demand a Crown Office review into the decision not to prosecute Sturgeon.
The campaigner also calls on first minister John Swinney to issue a public apology and to offer to compensate those who lost money as a result of the scandal.
Clerkin says Nicola Sturgeon has questions to answerpublished at 10:34 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland, at the High Court in Edinburgh
Outside court after the sentencing, Clerkin spoke to the media.
Asked if he felt sorry for Murrell, Clerkin says: “I don’t have any sympathy for him whatsoever.
“There are people who have donated money and have since died and their families are left feeling angry.”
The political activist also calls the case into what happened to the SNP’s £667,000 fund for a second independence referendum to be reopened.
He tells the media that former first minister Nicola Sturgeon - who was arrested under Operation Branchform and later released without charge - has questions to answer.

How did we get here?published at 10:32 BST
Image caption,
Sean Clerkin outside the High Court in Edinburgh this morning
Police Scotland first received a complaint about possible mismanagement of SNP finances in March 2021.
Concerns around the party's independence referendum campaign fund had been raised in online blogs.
But the first person to report the matter was political activist Sean Clerkin.
Officers then received around 12 further reports, mainly from donors via email or online contact forms.
Operation Branchform was set up and officers work closely with specialist economic crime detectives, based at the Scottish Crime Campus at Gartcosh, to piece together a complex jigsaw.
Murrell's punishment won't end with his releasepublished at 10:30 BST
David Cowan
Home Affairs Correspondent, BBC Scotland
As a long-term prisoner, Peter Murrell will be eligible for parole halfway through his sentence - that will be after he has served about two-and-a-half years.
Assuming he is of good behaviour, we can expect the parole board to sanction his release at that stage.
It’s also very likely that he could be freed earlier than that under a home detention curfew, with a tag and controls over his movements.
As his lawyer noted this morning, his punishment won’t end there. Peter Murrell’s reputation is in ruins.
One last point - his defence team will be considering whether Lord Young has gone too far. They may well appeal in an attempt to have that jail term reduced.

Proceeds of crime hearing later this yearpublished at 10:25 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland News, at the High Court in Edinburgh
The next major development in this case will be a proceeds of crime hearing which has been scheduled for 14 September in Edinburgh.
The amount Murrell must pay back has not been made public and will be based on a series of calculations, which will include inflation.
One thing we do know is that he intends to fully repay what is often described as his ill-gotten gains.
During the hearing Lord Young sought clarification that the funds in question were under Murrell’s sole control.
His lawyer, John Scullion KC, confirmed that was the case.
Lord Advocate praises probe under 'significant scrutiny'published at 10:20 BST
Scotland’s new Lord Advocate has hailed the work of police and prosecutors following Murrell’s sentencing.
Ruth Charteris KC, who was only appointed to the position of the country’s top law officer last week, said more than 500 witness statements were taken during the investigation.
She said it had been a “lengthy and high-profile case conducted under significant scrutiny”.
John Logue, chief executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said it was “understandable” that the public wanted more information on the case given the high level of public interest.
But he said the investigation had to be allowed to take its course.
“It would not have been appropriate to comment in detail while the criminal investigation and court proceedings were ongoing,” he said.
“As in all cases, prosecutors had to protect the investigation and act fairly to everyone involved.
“Criminal cases require careful, evidence-led preparation and decisions reached through normal legal processes.”

Huge moment in the history of devolutionpublished at 10:16 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland, at the High Court in Edinburgh
This is a hugely significant moment in the history of devolution.
Peter Murrell was a towering figure in the SNP and central to its transformation from a fringe organisation to an election-winning machine.
But from 2010 to 2022, a period when he masterminded victories in three Holyrood and three UK elections - in terms of seats won in Scotland - he was embezzling money from his own party.
It is a truly remarkable case that will be talked about for years to come.
WATCH AGAIN: Murrell 'overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame'published at 10:14 BST
Peter Murrell's defence KC, John Scullion, told the judge that the former SNP chief executive accepted full responsibility for his actions and had expressed remorse and guilt.

An unimaginable fall from power for Murrellpublished at 10:12 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland News, at the High Court in Edinburgh
Ten years ago today Peter Murrell was contemplating the result of the UK’s referendum on its membership of the European Union.
As chief executive of the SNP his focus would have been on what the outcome of the Brexit vote would mean for his party and, more widely, the Scottish independence movement.
It would have seemed unimaginable then that, a decade on, he would be leaving the High Court in Edinburgh to start a prison sentence of five years and three months.
To be honest, despite having just witnessed his departure from the dock, it still seems unimaginable now.
WATCH AGAIN: Murrell arrives in court for sentencingpublished at 10:09 BST

Murrell showed no emotion in courtpublished at 10:07 BST
Paul Ward
BBC News Scotland, at the High Court in Edinburgh
I was sitting with the pool cameras allowed in the main body of the court to film the sentencing hearing.
I could see Peter Murrell handcuffed by his right hand to a prison officer as he arrived in court, wearing a dark suit and navy tie.
The metal cuffs could be heard jangling as he walked to the dock. They were unlocked before he sat down.
When the hearing began he looked straight ahead, blinking, as his defence lawyer told the court that Murrell expected no sympathy.
As well as the cameras in court there was also a sketch artist, another rarity in Scottish courts.
She was studying Murrell as he sat in the dock and took some notes before leaving the court room to start her sketch.
As he was sentenced, Murrell looked straight ahead listening to the judge. He showed no emotion as he was told he would serve five years and three months in jail.
He was then again cuffed by his right hand and led out of court to prison.
Many questions remain unansweredpublished at 10:06 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland News, at the High Court in Edinburgh
We hoped for some clarity on Murrell's motives today, but many questions remain unanswered.
Indeed Lord Young told the former SNP chief executive that it is “very difficult to get a clear picture for what drove your actions”.

Murrell did not look at the packed public gallerypublished at 09:58 BST
Paul O'Hare
BBC Scotland, at the High Court in Edinburgh
During his three public court appearances, Murrell has cut a lonely figure.
Not once did he glance in the direction of the packed public gallery.
There may well have been a friendly face to offer support in his darkest hour but, if so, the former SNP chief executive did not lock eyes with them.
The court today heard he faces a bleak and solitary future as a result of his crimes.
Sentence reduced after guilty pleapublished at 09:56 BST
Murrell has been sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment.
The sentence has been reduced from seven years, which would have been imposed if he had been found guilty after a trial.
The judge says he reduced the sentence because Murrell pleaded guilty at the preliminary hearing.
The sentence has been backdated to 25 May, which is when he was first remanded in custody.

'Minimal risk of reoffending', says judgepublished at 09:54 BST
The judge tells Murrell he believes he cannot identify any factors which caused him to offend and could be considered as mitigatory factors.
He says the indictment covers a lengthy piece of time and future employment will be "difficult, if not impossible".
The judge adds Murrell presents a "minimal risk of general reoffending" according to risk assessments.
No reaction from Murrell as he hears his fatepublished at 09:51 BST
James Cook
Scotland editor, at the High Court in Edinburgh
Murrell did not react as his sentence was delivered, staring straight ahead and blinking several times before being led away in handcuffs.