Peter Murrell did not react as the sentence was delivered. He stared straight ahead, then was led away in handcuffs. The former SNP chief executive had admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over 12 years, and on Tuesday Lord Young sentenced him to five years and three months in prison.
Murrell, 61, the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, used party funds to buy a luxury motorhome, a Jaguar SUV, Montblanc pens, Bremont watches, Le Creuset ramekins and a set of Lalique salt and pepper grinders. He covered his tracks with false accounting codes and fake invoices.
“Peter Murrell jailed for five years three months for embezzling £400,000 from SNP over 12 years.”
The judge told Murrell he had committed a “calculated crime of dishonesty” involving “a significant breach of trust” to the SNP and its donors. He said he wanted the sentence to act as a deterrent to senior officials in other large organisations who might be tempted to abuse their position.
Police began investigating the SNP’s finances in 2021 after questions were raised about £667,000 raised for a second independence referendum campaign. They uncovered Murrell’s embezzlement, which ran from 2010 to 2022. He used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to buy goods including jewellery, cosmetics, stationery and games consoles. Many items were found unused in cupboards, a garden shed and the luxury motorhome parked at his mother’s house.
Lord Young said he could not identify a clear motive. Murrell’s lawyer, John Scullion KC, told the court his client felt “guilt and remorse” and was “overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame”. He said Murrell had become isolated and faced a “bleak and solitary” future. Scullion confirmed Murrell had enough money to repay the stolen sum under a confiscation order; a hearing was postponed to September.
Murrell’s sentence was backdated to 25 May, when he pleaded guilty. If he had gone to trial, he would have faced seven years. Nicola Sturgeon has said she was “deceived” and had no knowledge of his wrongdoing. She announced she was divorcing Murrell in January 2025, after the couple separated following his arrest in April 2023.