Peter Murrell, former SNP chief and estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, jailed for embezzling funds

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell leaving in a prison van from the High Court in Edinburgh, where he was jailed for five years and three months. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA

Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP who embezzled more than £400,000 (€463,000) from the party, has been jailed for more than five years.

Murrell, the estranged husband of former SNP leader and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, saw his sentence backdated five years and three months at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Ms Sturgeon has said through her lawyer that she is “innocent of any crime”, while hitting out at “anonymous sources” which have tried to “insinuate guilt” on her part.

Murrell, aged 61, entered the dock of the court shortly after 9.30am, having arrived in a prison van.

The judge told Murrell he had committed a “calculated crime of dishonesty”, with a “large number of fraudulent acts over a 12-year period while you were chief executive officer of the SNP”.

He said the offending increased in frequency and amount over time.

He added: “You found yourself unable to stop this offending, and it was only the detection of the crime that brought it to an end.”

The judge said Murrell was responsible for a “significant breach of trust” within the SNP and he used his position to get away with the crime.

The judge added: “On any view, the total sum involved in this case was a substantial one, and the embezzlement spanned a long time.” 

He said it was “difficult to get a clear picture for what drove your actions” given that some of the items bought by Murrell with the money were not even used.

The judge said he would have jailed Murrell for more than seven years had he not pled guilty.

Sentence was backdated to May 25, when Murrell’s guilty plea was entered at court.

John Scullion, defending, presented pleas in mitigation.

He told the High Court in Edinburgh: “For many months he has lived in almost total isolation.” 

He said his client accepted blame and he had been “ostracised” by his former colleagues.

Mr Scullion said he had become a “figure of public ridicule” as a result of his purchases.

The defence lawyer also said Murrell had sufficient funds to repay the money he embezzled.

The court was told that Murrell wanted to repay the money as a way to make a start toward atoning for his crimes.

He said that his client acknowledges a custodial sentence entirely deserved, adding that Murrell recognises the harm his actions have caused.

“In my submission, the accused is now an individual overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame,” he said.

Confiscation hearings have been postponed until September this year.

Last month, Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling a total of £400,310.65 over a 12-year period between August 2010 and October 2022.

He used the funds to make hundreds of extravagant purchases, including a £124,550 motorhome, cars, jewellery, luxury homewares, and designer stationery.

The court previously heard Murrell’s role enabled him to make direct transfers of cash from the party’s main bank account, which held funds from “membership fees and donations paid by party members and other donors and legacies”.

Murrell also used multiple party “charge cards”, as well as making a number of false expense claims.

He tried to dodge suspicion by giving his purchases “misleading descriptions and/or accounting codes” in the party’s finance system, to which he had direct access.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Murrell’s lawyer told the court that the former SNP chief executive recognises he is entirely to blame for his predicament.

“He does not seek to avoid or deflect from that conclusion,” said Mr Scullion.

“At present he does not consider himself worthy of sympathy, acknowledging that not only is a custodial sentence inevitable, but that it is entirely deserved.”

In mitigation, the lawyer noted that Murrell is 61 and has no previous convictions.

“In my submission, he is someone who has otherwise led a constructive life and has made a positive contribution to society,” he said.

“I think it is also fair to observe that the sentence imposed by this court will only be part of his punishment.

“His plea of guilty is life-changing. It has ended his career and future career prospects. He has been ostracised by his friends and former colleagues. The nature of many of his purchases, detailed in the narrative and schedules to the indictment, has made him a figure of public ridicule.” 

He added: “His humiliation will endure beyond any sentence your lordship imposes, and may prove lifelong. His future beyond custody is uncertain, but presently it appears bleak and solitary.”