Former SNP council leader jailed for sexual offences against young men and boys | UK news
A former SNP council leader has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of a string of sexual offenses against teenage boys and teenagers as young as 14.
Jordan Linden, once considered a rising star in the SNP, was found guilty of five sexual assaults on young boys after a hearing at Falkirk sheriff court in March, which found the SNP had “downplayed or ignored” complaints about his behaviour.
The 30-year-old man, who stood down as leader of North Lanarkshire council in 2022 after the allegations emerged, was also found guilty of directing unsolicited sexual communications to seven teenagers, the youngest of whom was 14, including photographs of himself in the bathroom and images of his genitals.
One of the offenses involved him sexually assaulting two victims at a house party in Dundee following Pride in 2019.
Linden, who also chairs the Scottish Youth Parliament, has denied all offenses that occurred over the 10-year period from 2011 to 2021. He was placed on the sex offenders register.
A witness told the hearing that during a trip to Barcelona with Young Scots for Independence, the SNP’s youth wing, Linden climbed into her bunk bed at a youth hostel and tried to fondle her and kiss her neck.
He said he reported Linden’s behavior to the police in 2023 because he was unsure his complaints to the SNP would be dealt with properly.
“Everywhere I went for help in the SNP I was ignored or belittled,” he told the court.
SNP leader and Scottish first minister John Swinney said he hoped the sentence would give victims “some reassurance”. [Linden] “They have been held accountable for the unacceptable behavior they experienced.”
Campaigning in Hamilton ahead of Thursday’s election, Swinney said: “We have already strengthened the handling of grievances within the SNP, which I think is robust. But I would like an independent review to determine whether that is robust enough.”
Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said the case exposed the “rotten culture at the heart of the SNP”.
He told supporters at a rally in Glasgow: “That’s what they are: secrecy, cover-up, corruption. Party first, country second.”
Following Linden’s conviction, victims told the Mail on Sunday they had asked the charity regulator to investigate the Scottish Youth Parliament, which they described as a “hunting ground” for Linden, breaking the original story. One of them described being touched and tickled in front of other youth workers, who dismissed the behavior as “just Jordan”.
DCI Diane Barr, senior investigating officer on the case, said: “This was a protracted investigation that involved speaking to a wide range of people, many of whom thought Linden was in a position of trust.
“He abused his position to befriend young men who sought support from him and the opportunity to learn from his work, but his behavior towards them was unprofessional.
“I would like to thank the victims who came forward to report their experiences to police. Their testimony and support enabled us to bring Linden to court.”
