Peter Murrell sentenced to over five years for embezzlement
Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), was sentenced to five years and three months in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of embezzling more than £400,000 from party funds over a 12-year period.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has released new images depicting various items Murrell purchased using the misappropriated money. These photographs, taken by police forensic officers, provide insight into the extent and nature of the illicit acquisitions.
The motorhome seized with luxury kitchenware inside
One of the most notable purchases was a Niessman and Bischoff motorhome valued at £124,550. This vehicle was delivered to an industrial estate before Murrell drove it to his mother’s residence in Dunfermline, where it remained until police seized it on 5 April 2023.
Photographs released by COPFS show the motorhome parked in the driveway beside the detached house, which appears to have two parking spaces: one in front of the garage and another to the side. The images reveal large windows facing the street and a side window, possibly frosted, adjacent to where the motorhome was stationed. A garden gate is visible behind the vehicle.
In an interview with BBC's Laura Kuenssberg last month, Murrell’s estranged wife and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stated she had no "conscious memory" of seeing the motorhome. She explained it was located "round the sides of the house which is not immediately visible in the way that we went into the home" and "between the house and the next door neighbour's." She added,
"If I had seen the motorhome I would probably have assumed it was a neighbour's. Why would it have crossed my mind that it was the SNP's?"
Murrell’s mother’s house is situated in a Dunfermline cul-de-sac, allowing entry and exit without passing the driveway where the motorhome was parked. The vehicle is currently held in a Police Scotland compound as part of Operation Branchform.
The motorhome had been driven only four miles but was equipped for touring, containing kitchen supplies such as cooking utensils, crockery, and plastic containers. Items listed on the charge sheet found inside the vehicle include Le Creuset and Joseph Joseph kitchen implements, an Alessi teapot, and various Molton Brown toiletries.
A notable item was a £220 mirrored stainless-steel Alessi teapot, with a reflection showing the motorhome inside a police compound alongside detectives in white forensic suits photographing its contents.
Other kitchen items documented inside the motorhome include an Oxo wooden spoon set, a Le Creuset wine stopper, and Wusthof shears, all purchased via Amazon. A Peugeot salt and pepper mill valued at £31.65 was also part of the collection. However, there was no police image of the Lalique salt and pepper grinders, an ostentatious pair bought in 2020 for £2,618, and it remains unclear if these were recovered.
Library ladder and fitted mats found in Murrell and Sturgeon’s Glasgow home
Murrell was arrested on 5 April 2023 at the Glasgow residence he shared with Nicola Sturgeon. The property was sealed with blue and white police tape, and a tent was erected on the driveway where items were transferred for examination.
Some items remained in place, including a fitted home library partially funded with SNP money, a wooden library ladder, a kitchen unit housing the boiler, and fitted mats in the hallway. Sturgeon has previously shared images on social media and during broadcasts that featured the library ladder and bookshelves.
On 25 April 2021, the Press Association photographed Sturgeon during an appearance on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, with the £943 library ladder visible in the background.
Additional images released by COPFS show two copies of Women Hold Up Half the Sky by Nicola Sturgeon and two copies of Break-Up: How Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon Went to War by David Clegg and Kieran Andrews within the library unit. Most books were not included in the final indictment. A black Sonos speaker, listed in the schedule, was also visible on one of the shelves.
Musical advent calendar and Dyson vacuum found in the loft
Dyson products featured prominently among Murrell’s purchases, with multiple repeat acquisitions of the same items. For instance, nine vacuum cleaners costing nearly £4,000 were bought over four years.
One photograph shows a Dyson SV12 vacuum cleaner valued at £499.99, found in what appears to be the loft of the Glasgow home. Nearby is a Fortnum and Mason musical advent calendar, similar to one listed in the indictment, and a wooden hamper wrapped in plastic. A Scalextric track and cardboard boxes are also visible.
Elsewhere in the house, a Dyson HD01 hairdryer and its box, purchased for £349.99, were recovered, along with a Dyson Supersonic stand. A Dyson lamp valued at £656.94, bought from John Lewis, was found in a corner next to a wall lined with bookshelves. Sturgeon had been photographed sitting in this room, but a 12 September 2021 Press Association image shows the lamp was not present at that time.
More than 100 pages of court documents detail the wide range of items Murrell purchased over 12 years, including thousands of pounds spent on kitchen implements and appliances. Le Creuset appeared to be a favored brand, with £289 worth of mugs recovered during the search.
Two stoneware Mickey Mouse ramekins purchased for £39 were found in the garage. Eight Le Creuset mugs were photographed in a drawer next to the oven, with another six found in a drawer beneath the boiler. The boiler cupboard itself, purchased for £367.22 including delivery, was also photographed as a stolen item.
Garden tools and weather station photographed by police
On 5 April 2023, officers were seen searching a small shed and storage boxes in the back garden of Murrell’s Glasgow home. A garden edger from Manufactum was recovered from one storage box alongside spades, trowels, and garden shears.
Gardening and DIY items constituted the second highest category of criminal purchases. Murrell also made several acquisitions over six years related to a Netatmo weather station, including rain gauges, wireless anemometers measuring wind speed and direction, and mounting equipment.
The weather station was photographed mounted on a fence in front of a hedge in the back garden, with its yellow sticker visible in close-up images on Google Maps. The device can also be seen in place on Google Street View.
Luxury watches and pens found at SNP headquarters
During the search of the SNP headquarters at Gordon Lamb House in Edinburgh, officers were observed carrying large green crates and other equipment. At least six marked police vehicles were parked outside, with two vans leaving the building during the investigation.
In May and June 2017, Murrell purchased two Bremont World Timer Alt 1 watches in white and black, costing £4,555.25 and £4,795 respectively. Both watches, in black boxes with faces wrapped in plastic, were recovered from a cupboard within the SNP headquarters.
Numerous luxury fountain pens were also found in the same location, some costing four-figure sums. The most expensive pen Murrell bought was a Montblanc white gold fountain pen purchased for £4,225, recovered during the search and photographed in a large square black box on a wooden desk.
Other items recovered from the SNP headquarters included a £195 Smythson memo holder, a tea set costing £2,396, and various writing folders.
As part of Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform, Nicola Sturgeon was interviewed by detectives in June 2023. She has consistently maintained her innocence and was informed last year that she was no longer under investigation.
On 31 May 2023, during an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Sturgeon was asked if she was aware of the expensive watches, pens, and coffee machines purchased by her estranged husband. She responded,
"I never saw those watches until they were asked about in the context of a criminal investigation….. we were on salaries that would not have made me question how we could have afforded a decent coffee machine."
Regarding Murrell, she added,
"Not only has he lied to me and betrayed me - and if this was an entirely private thing, that would be bad enough - but it's more than that. He has put me into a position of... of real peril. He has subjected me to public vilification, having the finger of suspicion pointed at me, you know, humiliation, allowed me to be seen on camera using things."
- Peter Murrell jailed for more than five years for embezzling SNP funds
- How former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell spent the £400,000 he embezzled
- Coffee machines, fountain pens and Grand Theft Auto: How Murrell spent the money
