First Minister: Jordan Linden should 'apologise to his victims' after being jailed for sex offences
Jordan Linden, the former SNP leader of North Lanarkshire council, has been jailed for 18 months following multiple offences against teenagers and young men
A former SNP council leader who has been jailed for 18 months for sex offences against teenagers and young men has been urged to apologise to his victims by Scotland’s First Minister.
Jordan Linden, the former SNP leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was found guilty of 10 separate offences last month following a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults. He returned to the same court on Wednesday for sentencing.
SNP leader John Swinney insisted that Linden should apologise to his victims.
"I think an apology would be necessary, appropriate and essential", the First Minister told journalists in Hamilton.
"The courts have decided by coming to a guilty verdict and then by sentencing the apportionment of guilt and the severity of the offences that require imprisonment.
"I think that indicates that there has been suffering here and there should be an apology forthcoming from Jordan Linden for that."
Following the conviction, First Minister John Swinney ordered an independent review of the SNP’s processes in the wake of concerns about the handling of complaints against Linden by fellow party members and activists.
Mr Swinney added: "I have apologised before to people who have suffered because of Jordan Linden - I have done that as leader of the Scottish National Party.
"A review was undertaken of our complaints handling process.
"I'm confident that is now robust and it can do what is required to be done. But I'm also seeking independent assessment of that so that we can reassure our members and also victims that the SNP has taken that issue very seriously and wants to have in place the most robust procedures we can have in place."
Linden resigned as the leader of North Lanarkshire Council in July 2022 after reports of alleged sexual harassment emerged, leading to the collapse of the SNP administration in the area. Linden left the SNP in 2024.
He was also found guilty of charges involving sexual communication and of engaging in a course of conduct causing fear or alarm.
The offences spanned the period 2011 to 2021 and took place at locations in North Lanarkshire and elsewhere.
Sentencing Linden, Sheriff Christopher Shead said he had considered submissions from Linden’s lawyer David Moggach KC but decided that jail was the only appropriate way of dealing with matter.
However, he said: “The first question the court requires to address is if a custodial sentence is the only disposal.
“It’s necessary for the court to consider the number of offences of which Mr Linden was convicted which includes sexual assault and to balance those against factors favourable to Mr Linden advanced by Mr Moggach including that Mr Linden has no previous convictions.
“I’ve reflected on the submissions of Mr Moggach and reached the conclusion that the nature of the offences is such that the test has been met and that custody is the only appropriate disposal.”
Mr Moggach had urged the Sheriff to consider alternatives to custody.
He said that Linden had been diagnosed with autism in 2021 and has not offended since then, and pointed out that Linden was a teenager himself at the time of some of the earlier offences.
Mr Moggach said: “In 2021 he was diagnosed with autism and it highlighted his lack of awareness of social boundaries and may go some way to explain the behaviour.”
The lawyer told the court: “Subsequent to 2021 there has been no offending.
“There is an awareness on Mr Linden’s part of how his behaviour was simply unacceptable.
“He now appreciates that he overstepped certain boundaries and now knows where those boundaries are.
“This has been a hugely significant and sobering experience for him.”
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