Court documents from Peter Murrell's embezzlement trial have revealed that the former SNP chief executive spent stolen party funds on more than 100 toilet rolls, just as his wife, Nicola Sturgeon, prepared to urge the Scottish public not to panic-buy at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Luxury purchase ahead of lockdown
On March 7, 2020, with lockdown looming and supermarkets facing chronic shortages of essential items, Murrell spent £55.98 on 108 luxury Andrex toilet rolls. The purchase came just 48 hours before Sturgeon appeared at a press conference instructing the public to 'apply common sense' by not bulk-buying and to 'behave as rationally as possible'.
Further hoarding of essentials
Despite the attempts to crack down on stockpiling, Murrell also bought 144 bottles of Evian still mineral water and four packs of liquid laundry detergent in the following weeks. The panic purchases have sparked outrage among politicians, who suggest Murrell hoarded the essentials knowing that his wife's imminent lockdown order could prompt supermarkets to introduce purchasing limits.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'Peter Murrell's loo-roll splurge with stolen cash suggests that he had advance notice of Nicola Sturgeon's warning against panic buying, but it's also typical of the SNP's "do as I say, not as I do" double standards.'
