Pictures revealing the inside of a £124,000 luxury motorhome purchased by ex-SNP boss Peter Murrell have been released.
The former party chief executive appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh in handcuffs today after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from party funds. Advocate depute Alan Cameron KC outlined how Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband used SNP cash to fund a lavish lifestyle for more than a decade in a 30-minute “narrative” of the case.
The funds in that account came mainly from “membership fees and donations paid by party members and other donors and legacies”.
The Crown Office released images of the motorhome, kitted out with Molton Brown toiletries. When police seized the vehicle from his mother’s house, the odometer showed it had only been driven for four miles.
6View 6 ImagesInside the motorhome purchased by Peter Murrell that was shown during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh(Image: Crown Office/PA Wire)
6View 6 ImagesPolice released pictures of the motorhome as Peter Murrell returned to court(Image: Crown Office/PA Wire)
Mr Cameron said it was described as a “van rather than a motorhome” when the invoice was filed, adding: “It was never used or seen by any other party member or employee.”
The court also heard that a £3,000 robotic lawnmower was only found when police searched his house.
“This item was misdescribed in the accounting software as spending on legal fees, and was found at his home when it was searched by police,” he said.
More than £42,000 was spent on 383 items from Amazon, which were not for party purposes and mostly delivered to his home address or SNP HQ, Mr Cameron said.
View 6 ImagesA photo issued by Crown Office of the motorhome purchased by Peter Murrell (Image: Crown Office/PA Wire)
Murrell falsified accounting records and created fake invoices in a bid to cover up his wrongdoing as he racked up purchases. A list published when he entered his plea included 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.
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.
View 6 ImagesAnother photo issued by Crown Office of a robotic mower purchased by Peter Murrell (Image: Crown Office/PA Wire)
He also made 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.
Murrell’s guilty plea has triggered intense scrutiny of Ms Sturgeon, who denies knowledge of his crimes. The former Scottish First Minister said at the weekend she was “serving a sentence for a crime I didn’t commit”.
In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, she said: “I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I’m not going to apologise for somebody else’s crimes.”
View 6 ImagesA lavish wine coaster purchased by Peter Murrell(Image: Crown Office/PA Wire)
Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned as part of the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, which was known as Operation Branchform, but Police Scotland confirmed she would face no action.
There have also been calls for an independent investigation into the SNP’s finances.
Murrell appeared in court dressed in a dark blue suit and black tie, and gave a nod to his lawyer John Scullion KC as he was led to the dock.
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He has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on June 23.