SNP accused of 'covering up sex crimes' as John Swinney orders complaints review after Linden scandal

Jordan Linden, the former SNP leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was convicted of ten separate offences on Thursday following a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults.

But pressure is mounting on SNP bosses amid accusations that complaints about Linden’s behaviour were not dealt with appropriately.

One anonymous victim told STV News Linden’s actions “could have been stopped earlier”, adding that victims “weren’t believed, we were called liars, we were pushed out of politics”.

READ MORE: Former SNP council leader guilty of sexual assault of five men and boys

The victim added: “He was enabled, and I hope in time we find out why.”

Amid mounting pressure, the party announced the SNP’s complaints procedures are now under review.

A spokesperson for the SNP said: “We have undertaken a comprehensive review of our complaints procedures since 2016, but in light of this case the party leader, John Swinney, has today instructed that an independent review of these procedures be conducted.

“This will ensure people are protected and our complaints procedures are as robust as they can be.

“More generally, the SNP welcomes the verdict against Mr Linden and commends the bravery of the individuals who came forward and shared their experiences with the police.”

The SNP is also facing pressure after one of Linden’s fellow councillors, current council leader Tracy Carragher, was called as a witness by the defence during Linden’s trial.

Ms Carragher was selected by the SNP in seventh place on the list for the Central Scotland and West Lothians region for May’s election.

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn suggests SNP candidate should be sacked if they stand by convicted 'predator'

She said: “I welcome the decision reached by the jury. It should send a message that even when victims do not go to the police straight away, justice can still be done.

“My thoughts are with the victims in this case, and I truly hope that this verdict will bring them some closure.

“I was called as a witness in Jordan Linden’s trial, and so I gave an honest account of my involvement and my knowledge of events.

READ MORE: John Swinney's attempt to tie Labour to Reform shows the Holyrood gloves are already off

“I did not at any point defend Mr Linden.

“Had any councillor asked me to step in to protect them from another member of the SNP group, I would have done so.

“I am clear that they did not, but I fully understand why someone might not wish to divulge such personal information to me.

“I have not spoken to Jordan Linden since his arrest.”

Fellow councillor Fiona Fotheringham also gave evidence during the trial.

Scottish Labour deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, said: “This is a shameful, disgraceful, and desperate attempt to distract from the SNP’s culture of routinely covering up sexual crimes.

“John Swinney’s continued silence on this issue is reprehensible, and no cover-up party inquiry should stop Scotland’s voters getting answers.

“John Swinney must give an on the record press conference and disclose how and why the SNP covered up accusations of Linden’s sadistic sexual abuse.”

She added: “Instead of showing any sort of leadership, he has chosen to go into hiding, while allowing the same SNP operation that for years has attempted to shut down journalists about Linden to now issue a weasel-worded comment from a ‘spokesperson’.

READ MORE: Stephen Flynn distances himself from SNP leadership hopes as real reasons for Holyrood move revealed

“Meanwhile, Tracy Carragher’s statement fails to answer even the most basic of questions or account for the dozens of people who have named her as orchestrating SNP HQs cover-up in North Lanarkshire.

“It is inconceivable that John Swinney can claim to care about victims and permit her to remain as a candidate.

“That is not leadership, that is cowardice. John Swinney thinks he can wriggle off the hook once again because frankly, he has been doing it for years.

“Most importantly, John Swinney must apologise for the years of cover-up and gaslighting that his party has perpetrated towards Linden’s victims.”

Scottish Conservative candidate for Uddingston and Bellshill, Meghan Gallacher, said: "This long-overdue independent review is tantamount to an admission by John Swinney that the SNP's safeguarding and complaints procedure is not fit for purpose.

"He's been forced into this action following the outcry over the vile and predatory actions of Jordan Linden, but it smacks of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.”

She added: "This review should have been ordered years ago because a succession of victims have been let down by the SNP's shoddy handling of misconduct allegations against their politicians.

"As we saw in the cases of Derek Mackay and Patrick Grady, the Nationalists' first instinct is to close ranks and protect the party's reputation rather than support victims.

"John Swinney, Tracy Carragher and others in the SNP have serious questions to answer over what they knew and when regarding their disgraced former rising star Linden."

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Councillors Greg Lennon and Barry McClusky, who left the SNP after raising concerns over the Linden scandal, have called for action to those who continued to support the convicted sex offender.

Writing on social media, Mr McCluskey claimed that he and others were “effectively forced out of the party”, and called for “full transparency and a robust, independent public investigation into the actions and inactions of the North Lanarkshire Council SNP leadership”.

The SNP called on former Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy to be sacked by Anas Sarwar after maintaining her close friendship with convicted paedophile Sean Morton.

Speaking to journalists in Glasgow, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, who did not explicitly call for Ms Carragher to be removed as a candidate, suggested that due to “consistency” with the calls for Ms Duncan-Glancy to lose the Labour whip, she should face action if she continued to stand by Linden.

He said: “I think those councillors need to be clear about what they chose to do and what their views are now. That’s a matter for them.

“I’m horrified that this predator got into a position of such seniority within the Scottish Youth Parliament, and indeed, then went on to secure the position as one of the most important people in one of the biggest local authorities in Scotland. That can’t be allowed to happen.”

Asked about the SNP calling for Ms Duncan-Glancy to lose the Labour whip and whether his party should match that action, Mr Flynn stressed that she “maintained a relationship with a convicted paedophile”.

Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Mr Sarwar told activists in Coatbridge that “after 20 years of SNP Government Scotland needs change, it needs a new government, it needs a new first minister”.

He added: “The biggest challenge Scotland faces is John Swinney has no energy, and that’s the problem.

“After 20 years of SNP government Scotland needs change, it needs new energy, new ideas and new leadership, and that can only come from me and Scottish Labour.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay hit out at the “skills shortage” facing the defence sector, pledging to reinstate funding cuts to colleges in recent years.

Speaking outside BAE in Glasgow, Mr Findlay said his party would also do more to highlight the industry, he said.

Scottish Lib-Dems leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton, said his party has demonstrated it is “serious about getting you the fair deal you deserve”, pointing to “a long list of changes that we have won for our constituents and for Scotland as a whole”.

He added: “The more MSPs we have, the more we can get done, like delivering more GPs, dentists and mental health professionals near you.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer set out his party’s proposals to replace Scotland’s air departure tax with a frequent flyer levy, arguing that wealthy frequent flyers pay more than families going on their annual holidays.