Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband had admitted to using SNP funds to splash out on luxury goods, including a £124,000 motorhome, and two Bremont watches for a total of £9,35009:52, 23 Jun 2026Updated 10:21, 23 Jun 2026Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been jailed for five years and three months after embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP to bankroll his lavish lifestyle.‌Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband had admitted to using SNP funds to splash out on luxury goods, including a £124,000 motorhome, two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350, two Montblanc Boheme Noir fountain pens for £1,407 and a £3,500 Hamilton and Inches silver wine coaster.‌He also falsified accounting records and created fake invoices in a bid to cover up his wrongdoing.‌After pleading guilty, he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh, where Lord Young told the hearing the sentence would have been seven years if Murrell had not plead guilty.Sentencing, Lord Young said: "One factor in the sentence which I imposed today will be to act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organisations who might be tempted to abuse their position in the way that you did.‌"I acknowledge that you've played an important and committed role within a very successful political party in Scotland, and the public coverage of your downfall will make future employment difficult, if not impossible."I Impose a sentence of five years, three months imprisonment. I shall backdate that sentence to the 25th of May, 2026, when you first remanded in custody."Court documents show he created a false invoice for £57,500 to buy a £81,277 Jaguar I-Pace, which he then sold for £47,378. He used £16,489 of SNP funds for a £32,989 Volkswagen Golf.‌He made some lower-end purchases, including £2.50 Neutrogena hand cream, staples for £4 and Chinese takeaway curry sauce paste for £12. He also splashed out on a £67 toilet seat, according to a 125-page list.He tried to dodge suspicion by giving his purchases “misleading descriptions and/or accounting codes” in the party’s finance system, to which he had direct access.The court heard a robotic lawnmower, which was purchased by Murrell for £3,070, was misdescribed as “legal fees” in the SNP’s accounting software.‌A Crown Office statement said: "The accused made two purchases from CW Sellors Jura watches using £9,350.25 of SNP funds."On 8 June 2017 he purchased a white Bremont watch for £4,555.25; on 12 July 2017, he purchased a black Bremont watch for £4,795. Both transactions were recorded on the accounting software as ‘event merchandise’. These watches were found by police during their search of party headquarters in April 2023."The accused purchased a travel watch roll from Smythson in November 2017 using £332 of SNP funds. This transaction was recorded on the accounting software under the code ‘staff expenses’ and described as ‘Double Tree The Glasgow City Hotel’.‌"The accused purchased an OXO Good Grips 2-piece silicone egg poacher set on 7 July 2020 using £23.98 of SNP funds. This transaction was recorded on the accounting software under the code ‘computer hardware purchases’ and described as ‘Ethernet cabling’."His KC John Scullion said Murrell had "sufficient funds" to repay the £400,000 sum in full, and that his client has lived in “isolation” since his guilty plea.‌Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform - the police investigation into the SNP’s finances - and was charged in April 2024.Ms Sturgeon was married to Murrell for 15 years until the couple announced they had split last year. In a statement after his guilty plea, she said: "To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.‌"To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes. I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why. That I was fully cleared after a thorough investigation underlines that these were not my crimes. I was misled, just as others were."Article continues belowMurrell and Ms Sturgeon were once one of the most powerful couples in UK politics. Ms Sturgeon was First Minister for eight years, and Murrell served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, until he stepped down in 2023 for misleading the media on party membership figures.The explosive news has rocked the SNP, with party leader and First Minister John Swinney issuing a grovelling apology to members, saying the “level of personal horror” he felt over Murrell’s crimes was “difficult for me to properly convey”.He said it was a "terrible breach of trust and an overwhelming betrayal by the man entrusted to be the party's chief executive". He added: "Today I feel the overwhelming anger felt by SNP members."