Former SNP Council Leader Jailed for Sexual Assault
A former SNP council leader has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for sexually assaulting five young men.
Jordan Linden, who resigned as leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022 following the emergence of allegations, was convicted in March after a seven-day trial.
The 30-year-old was also found guilty of directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenagers, the youngest of whom was 14 years old.
During sentencing at Falkirk Sheriff Court, Sheriff Christopher Shead ordered Linden to be placed on the sex offenders register.
The trial revealed that the sexual communications included photographs of Linden in a bath and images of his genitalia.
The offences occurred over a decade, from 2011 to 2021.
Linden was acquitted of a sixth sexual assault charge and five additional charges related to stalking and sexual communication.
He had denied all charges, asserting that the incidents either did not occur or were consensual.
Linden also served as chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP).
He was first elected as an SNP councillor in 2017 and rose to become leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022.
He stepped down from the leadership position a few weeks after the allegations surfaced and was arrested in 2024.
Testimonies Presented at Trial
One SNP party official testified that Linden had confined him in a bathroom and attempted to make him urinate while Linden observed.
The man, who was 18 at the time, stated that the incident occurred after a Dundee Pride parade when Linden was heavily intoxicated and behaving inappropriately with others.
"He kept sitting on me, putting his hands near my crotch, putting his hands down my top,"
he told the court.
Another man, who joined the SYP alongside Linden as a teenager, described Linden's touching—on the face, cheek, or neck—as "relentless." When he reported this to a youth worker at the parliament, it was dismissed as "just Jordan."
A further witness recounted a "traumatic evening" in 2018 at Linden's flat in Bellshill involving drinking, and said he "vomited in disgust" after waking to find Linden performing a sexual act on him.
Additional Witness Account
BBC Scotland News spoke to a witness, referred to as James, whose evidence was heard during the trial though not part of the charges against Linden.
James said he first met Linden in 2015 while campaigning for the SNP as a teenager.
He described Linden as "very overly friendly" from the outset and noted that others within the party had warned him to keep his distance.
'I Decided to Speak Out'
During the trial, James recounted an incident on an overseas trip with the SNP's youth wing, Young Scots for Independence, when Linden climbed into his bed and attempted to kiss him.
"I sort of shrugged it off and tried to ignore it the next day,"
he told BBC Scotland.
James said Linden acted as if nothing had occurred, and he avoided Linden for the remainder of the trip.
"It wasn't until a couple of years later - when I saw a number of the other individuals coming forward and I was reading the instances that happened with them - that I decided to speak out. It was nearly five or six years later,"
he added.
James initially sought to address the matter within the SNP but eventually reported it to the police after the party "tried to avoid the whole situation."
"Having to relive it numerous times over the last 10 years, it's very chilling - but getting this point where there's justice being served, it's a good feeling."
Reactions and Reviews
Following the conviction, First Minister John Swinney expressed his regret to anyone affected by Linden's actions.
Swinney commissioned an independent review of the SNP's complaints process after some witnesses alleged that complaints about Linden were disregarded by the party.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Youth Parliament condemned Linden's conduct as "reprehensible and diametrically opposed" to the organisation's values and ethos.
They also stated that an independent review confirmed that the SYP's child protection policies fully comply with national guidelines and legislation.
