Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for embezzling over £400,000 from the party. The sentence was handed down at the High Court in Edinburgh on June 23.

Murrell, 61, who is the estranged husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty on May 25 to misappropriating funds from the SNP between 2010 and 2022. Prosecutors detailed a range of luxury items purchased with party money, including a £124,000 motorhome, two Bremont watches totaling £9,350, and a Montblanc Starwalker World Time fountain pen valued at £4,225. He also acquired a Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle through a falsified invoice and later sold it at a loss, alongside purchases such as a Volkswagen Golf, a Dyson vacuum cleaner, and various smaller personal items.

Murrell attempted to conceal his activities by manipulating accounting records and generating false invoices. Some expenditures were misleadingly described in the party’s financial system, with items such as a £3,500 silver wine coaster labeled as “leadership expenses.” The court heard he used a variety of deceptive tactics to avoid detection, including assigning inaccurate descriptions and accounting codes to his purchases.

Lord Young, presiding over the case, emphasized that the severity of the sentence was intended to deter senior officials in other organizations from abusing their positions. While acknowledging Murrell’s longstanding and committed role within the SNP, the judge noted that the public nature of his conviction would likely prevent future employment opportunities.

Murrell resigned from his role as SNP chief executive in 2023 following revelations that he had misled the media on party membership figures. His arrest came in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform, a police inquiry into the SNP’s finances, and formal charges were brought a year later.

The embezzlement scandal has deeply unsettled the SNP. Party leader and current First Minister John Swinney expressed profound remorse to party members, describing his personal distress over the case as difficult to fully articulate. Nicola Sturgeon, who served as First Minister for eight years, publicly expressed feelings of betrayal, stating she has been left in acute pain by Murrell’s actions and remains unable to understand his motives. The couple had been married for 15 years before their separation last year.

Murrell’s defense counsel revealed that he had the means to repay the misappropriated funds and has lived in isolation since admitting guilt. The case has drawn significant attention amid ongoing scrutiny of financial governance within political parties in Scotland.