Peter Murrell jailed for more than five years for embezzling SNP funds

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Murrell sentenced to more than five years for embezzling party funds By Angus Cochrane Senior political journalist, BBC Scotland Published 22 June 2026 Updated 24 minutes ago Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been sentenced to five years and three months in jail after he admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. Murrell - the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon - used the funds to buy goods ranging from cars and a motorhome to kitchenware and toiletries. The 61-year-old's sentence was backdated to 25 May, when he was remanded in custody after pleading guilty. He did not react as his sentence was delivered, staring straight ahead before being led away in handcuffs. Judge Lord Young said Murrell had carried out a "calculated crime of dishonesty" but told the court he had been unable to identify a clear motive. Sturgeon has denied any knowledge of his wrongdoing, saying she was "deceived". Former SNP chief Peter Murrell jailed for embezzling party funds - follow reaction Who is Peter Murrell? The former SNP chief who stole from his party Published 2 hours ago New pictures show dozens of items bought illegally by Peter Murrell Published 2 hours ago At a court hearing on 25 May, Murrell admitted embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022. Police Scotland began investigating the party's finances in 2021 after questions were asked about what had happened to £667,000 raised for a second independence referendum campaign . Officers initially looking into those concerns ultimately uncovered Murrell's embezzlement. They found Murrell had used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to illicitly purchase items including jewellery, cosmetics, stationery, and games consoles. At the sentencing hearing, Murrell's lawyer John Scullion KC recognised that the only "appropriate" punishment was imprisonment. He said his client had "behaved dishonestly" and went to considerable lengths to conceal his crimes and avoid detection. Scullion told the court that Murrell accepted full responsibility for his actions, had expressed guilt and remorse and recognised the "psychological and financial harm" he had done to the SNP and others. He described his client as "overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame" and said that following his arrest he lived "in almost total isolation" for months "at times to the detriment of his health". The lawyer said Murrell had been publicly humiliated and faced a "bleak and solitary" future. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell announced last year that they had separated Judge Lord Young said Murrell had carried out a "calculated crime of dishonesty". He told the court it was "very difficult to get a clear picture" of what motivated the former SNP chief executive, noting that many of the high-value items were not even used. Lord Young said