Sturgeon says she will not visit estranged husband Peter Murrell in prison
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon told a podcast she will not see her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, while he serves a jail term for embezzling SNP funds.
Nicola Sturgeon, who stepped down as first minister in March 2023, said she will not speak to or visit Peter Murrell, her estranged husband, while he is incarcerated for embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP. During a podcast at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she expressed that she feels foolish for having continued concern for him and that she is only now uncovering the extent of his misuse of party funds, such as a £124,550 motorhome and various luxury appliances.
Murrell pleaded guilty on 25 May and was sentenced in June after Lord Young described the crime as a calculated act of dishonesty. Sturgeon noted that Murrell had been secretive for years and only admitted the full scope of his actions at the plea hearing. She added that the revelation has been a difficult personal process for her and her family. The case also involved police searches of their Glasgow home and the SNP’s Edinburgh headquarters as part of Operation Branchform.
Why it matters
The story highlights the personal and political fallout from a major financial scandal within Scotland's leading party.
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