Top UK politician’s husband jailed for five years
Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Former Scottish chief minister Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband has been imprisoned for more than five years after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP in 'calculated crimes of dishonesty'.
Peter Murrell, 61, the party's disgraced former chief executive, stared straight ahead as he was led from the high court in Edinburgh to begin his sentence yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
Murrell married Sturgeon in 2010 and for years they were seen as Scotland's most influential couple, before their separation was announced in January last year.
His career ended in shame last month when he pleaded guilty to a 12-year crime spree in which he used party funds for spending including everyday items such as lavatory paper as well as a £124,550 motorhome, a £32,989 Volkswagen Golf and an £81,277 Jaguar. Many were high-end domestic products, such as a £3,200 tea set, four coffee machines costing nearly £8,000 and a £3,000 lawnmower.
Addressing Murrell, Lord Young, the judge, said: 'You found yourself unable to stop this offending, and it was only the detection of the crime that brought it to an end.' He said that Murrell's actions had been a breach of trust and that his senior position within the party had allowed him to 'circumvent checks and balances', though the techniques he used were 'not particularly sophisticated'.
Young said he had been unable to identify a motive, adding: 'It is very difficult to get a clear picture of what drove your actions'. A social work report hinted at compulsive behaviour, saying Murrell felt unable to stop offending.
However, John Scullion KC, Murrell's lawyer, did not raise any medical or mental health condition. Instead, he argued that his client had paid a heavy price for his actions. 'For many months he has lived in almost total isolation,' Scullion said.
Murrell had been 'ostracised' by his former colleagues, Scullion said, and had become a 'figure of public ridicule'. He added that Murrell accepted 'full responsibility for his actions', did not seek to minimise them and felt 'guilt and remorse' for the financial and psychological impact on the party. Murrell felt 'overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame'.
Young told Murrell that future employment would be 'difficult, if not impossible'. However, he concluded that Murrell posed a 'minimal risk of general reoffending'.
Murrell's sentence of five years and three months was reduced from seven years, which would have been imposed had he been found guilty at trial. It has been backdated to May 25, when Murrell was first remanded in custody. He will serve at least 50 per cent and then become eligible for parole, meaning he is likely to spend little more than two and a half years behind bars.
Last month, Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 between August 2010 and October 2022. The court was told that Murrell's role had enabled him to make direct transfers of cash from the party's main bank account, which held funds from 'membership fees and donations paid by party members and other donors and legacies'. Murrell also used party charge cards and made false expenses claims. He tried to dodge suspicion by using 'misleading descriptions and/or accounting codes' in the party's finance system, to which he had direct access.
The court was told that a robotic lawnmower bought for £3,070 had been described as 'legal fees' in the SNP's accounting software. A silver wine coaster worth £3,500 was described as 'leadership expenses'.
Murrell's offending came to light after police began receiving complaints in March 2021 about potential mismanagement of the SNP's finances, leading to an investigation.
Police Scotland have released clips of Murrell being interviewed. In them, he does not speak during questioning. In one clip he is asked about a false invoice he created to justify the purchase of a Jaguar. In another he is challenged by an officer over the 'outrageous' amount of cash the SNP spent on pens. 'What does the SNP need over £19,000 of luxury pens for?' he is asked.
Assistant chief constable Stuart Houston, of Police Scotland, welcomed the sentence and stressed that it was the result of 'an extremely detailed, complex and intricate inquiry'.
'Today's sentencing of Peter Murrell - and a sentence of such duration - is proof that those who flout the law, who break the trust of those around them, and who embezzle vast sums of money will not escape justice, regardless of how high a profile or role they may hold,' he said. 'His undeniably deliberate and calculated actions to mislead and steal for his own … gain has proved his disregard for those who placed their trust in him.' He said work would continue to recover the sums stolen by Murrell. 'Work remains to be undertaken in regards to the proceeds of crime act relating to this case by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service,' he said. 'Police Scotland, and in particular the cyber and fraud unit, will assist in this process and in any further investigations.'
Murrell's guilty plea has led to intense scrutiny of his former wife, who has denied knowledge of his crimes, saying she was 'deceived, misled and betrayed'. Sturgeon said she had been 'completely exonerated' after a 'two-year-long, very forensic police investigation' during which officers searched the home she and Murrell had shared.
After Murrell was sentenced, Aamer Anwar, Sturgeon's lawyer, said: 'While anonymous sources have desperately tried to insinuate guilt, it is clear following a two-year gold-plated and robust investigation, Ms Sturgeon was neither charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any offence. Ms Sturgeon is innocent of any crime and whilst that might be a source of annoyance for some, it remains a fact that it was Mr Murrell who was charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for his crimes today. Ms Sturgeon was utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted.'