Jailed former council leader Jordan Linden to appeal conviction

A former SNP council leader who was jailed for sexually assaulting five young men is to appeal his conviction and sentence.

Jordan Linden was jailed for 18 months last week after being convicted following a seven-day trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

The 30-year-old was also found guilty of directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenagers, the youngest aged 14.

Linden stood down as leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022 after the allegations emerged.

Linden was also placed on the sex offenders register following his conviction.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service has confirmed that an intention to appeal against Linden's conviction and sentence had been lodged.

In Scotland, an intimation of intention to appeal a conviction or sentence must be lodged within two weeks.

A note with the full grounds of appeal then has to be lodged within the subsequent eight weeks.

The trial was told Linden's offences took place over a 10-year period from 2011 until 2021.

Linden, who also chaired the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), had denied all the charges against him, claiming they either did not take place or were consensual.

He became a councillor for the SNP in 2017 and rose to become North Lanarkshire council leader in 2022.

He resigned from the post a few weeks later following the allegations and was arrested in 2024.

The court heard from an SNP party official who said Linden had locked him in a bathroom and tried to get him to urinate while he watched.

The man, who was 18 at the time, said the incident took place after a Dundee Pride parade when Linden was very drunk and being "very handsy" with people.

Another man recalled a "traumatic evening" in 2018 at Linden's flat in Bellshill drinking and said he "vomited in disgust" after waking up to find Linden performing a sex act on him.