What we now know about how Peter Murrell hid his embezzlement

For the first time we have heard how Peter Murrell, the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, used SNP funds to illicitly purchase goods including jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome over a 12-year period.

The 61-year-old, who served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, faces a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty last week.

The High Court in Edinburgh was told that the total sum embezzled was £400,310.65 and was taken from the party's "principal bank account over which the accused had control".

A statement read at the hearing said: "The accused made direct transfers of money and used his party charge card and those of two other staff members to make purchases which were not connected to party business; rather they were for his own use or the use of others.

"Those other members of staff were unaware of him using their cards for that purpose."

The money in the party's account came from fees and donations paid by SNP members and other supporters, plus legacies.

Despite the failed Scottish independence referendum in 2014, there was a renewed drive among the grassroots to raise money and try again.

In March 2017 Nicola Sturgeon, who had been Scotland's first minister for nearly three years, announced plans for a second independence referendum. On the same day, the SNP launched its #ScotRef fundraising appeal for the campaign.

In December 2019, after Conservative leader Boris Johnson became prime minister, a second fundraising push was made and the indyref2 fighting fund grew to £667,000.

SNP membership peaked at nearly 126,000 in 2019, but the following year, the party's accounts showed it had fallen back to about 104,000.

Questions about party finances started to emerge and pro-independence blogger Stuart Campbell, the man behind the Wings Over Scotland political website, claimed that "supposedly ring-fenced" money from the two indyref crowdfunding campaigns had "vanished into the maw of the party machine".

The total amount of illicit purchases from online marketplace Amazon was £42,661.

The court heard that most were delivered to either Murrell's home address in the east of Glasgow, which he shared with Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, or the Scottish National Party's Edinburgh HQ.

There was also a small number sent to addresses of family members, including to Murrell's mother's home in Dunfermline and two addresses in Irvine, Ayrshire, where Nicola Sturgeon has relatives.

A total of £139,971 was spent on items purchased from non-Amazon retailers which were not for party purposes. Almost all were bought online and again most delivered to Murrell's home and party headquarters, with some to the homes of family members.

During the Covid pandemic, when travel restrictions were in place from mid-March 2020, all purchases were delivered to the former SNP chief executive's home.

After Murrell was arrested at 07:35 on 5 April 2023 from the Glasgow home he shared with his then wife Sturgeon, a police search began.

Officers were in the detached property for several hours and they were also seen scouring the small shed and storage box in the back garden.

The court heard that "some of the items listed" were recovered from the house with "a smaller number of others being recovered from the SNP headquarters" in Edinburgh.

Speaking for the Crown, Advocate Depute Alan Cameron KC said that the police did not take away everything that they discovered.

He explained: "Others were found but left in situ at the accused's home, including a fitted home library which was partly paid for with SNP funds, a wooden library ladder, a bathroom vanity unit, a kitchen unit for the boiler and fitted mats in the hallway."

Cameron added that the majority of the items which were purchased had not been found during police searches.

The items purchased by Murrell for his own use, or that of others, were labelled in the accounting software system under misleading descriptions.

The court was told that there were hundreds of purchases inaccurately recorded, but "three examples demonstrate how this worked in practice".

1. Murrell made two purchases from CW Sellors Jura watches using £9,350.25 of SNP funds. On 8 June 2017 he bought a white Bremont watch for £4,555.25; on 12 July 2017, he chose a black Bremont watch for £4,795. Both transactions were recorded on the accounting software as "event merchandise". The watches were found by police during their search of the SNP's Edinburgh HQ in April 2023.
2. A travel watch roll - a protective case for a watch - was bought from Smythson in November 2017 using £332 of SNP funds. This transaction was recorded under the code "staff expenses" and described as "Double Tree The Glasgow City Hotel".
3. An OXO Good Grips 2-piece silicone egg poacher set was purchased on 7 July 2020 using £23.98 of SNP money. This transaction was recorded under the code "computer hardware purchases" and described as "ethernet cabling'"

A new Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4e motorhome, costing £124,550, was ordered by Murrell on 14 October 2020.

Using the SNP charge card, he made three deposit payments totalling £12,500. The £112,050 balance was paid in four direct transfers from the SNP account on 7 December 2020.

The motorhome was picked up by Murrell at the Halbeath Industrial Estate on 22 January 2021 and driven by him to his mother's home in Dunfermline where it remained until it was seized by police officers on 5 April 2023.

When the vehicle was hauled on to a low-loader transporter and taken to a police compound, it had just four miles on the clock.

Murrell covered his tracks by creating a false invoice in the name of the motorhome dealer. The customer address was the SNP's headquarters in Edinburgh rather than that of his home which he had provided to the dealer, and the account name was changed from "Murrell" to "SNP – Murrell".

In addition, the description of the vehicle was altered to describe a van rather than a motorhome and many details were removed including those of the specification and additional options chosen by Murrell. They included security, tracking and navigation systems, and a television.

Murrell was the registered keeper and it was insured for him only to drive for social, domestic and pleasure purposes. After its purchase he suggested to SNP staff that the motorhome could have been used for campaigning purposes, but it was not.

The day after he had ordered the motorhome, three guides to "inspirational journeys around Scotland, England and Wales and Ireland in a camper van or motorhome" were purchased from Amazon.

On 5 April 2023, Murrell was arrested and taken to Falkirk Police station where he was interviewed, making no comment in response to all questions asked, before being released from custody.

On 18 April 2024, he returned to Falkirk Police station where he was arrested and interviewed, again making no comment in response to all questions asked.

At the end of the interview he was charged with embezzlement, to which he made no response, and released from custody.