Jordan Linden, a former Scottish National Party council leader once seen as a rising star, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexual offences against young men and boys as young as 14. The 30-year-old was convicted in March at Falkirk Sheriff Court of five sexual assaults and directing unwanted sexual communications to seven teenagers over a ten-year period between 2011 and 2021.
Linden, who chaired North Lanarkshire Council until 2022 and also led the Scottish Youth Parliament, was placed on the sex offender register. The court heard that one of the assaults occurred at a house party in Dundee after a Pride march in 2019, and that during a trip to Barcelona with Young Scots for Independence, he climbed into a victim's bunk and tried to kiss his neck.
One victim told the trial that complaints to the SNP were “ignored or downplayed”. John Swinney, the SNP leader and First Minister, said he hoped the sentence gave victims “some assurance [Linden] has been held to account”. He added that the party had strengthened its complaints handling but wanted independent scrutiny to ensure it was “sufficiently robust”.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described the case as exposing “the rotten culture at the heart of the SNP”, accusing the party of “secrecy, cover-up, corruption”. After the conviction, victims called for an investigation into the Scottish Youth Parliament, which they described as “a hunting ground” for Linden.
Detective Chief Inspector Diane Barr, the senior investigating officer, said Linden had abused his position of trust to befriend young males seeking his support. The Scottish Youth Parliament stated it had commissioned external investigations into allegations made in 2016 and 2017, which found no evidence of criminality at the time, and said it fully supported the police investigation that led to Linden's conviction.
