Alleged Victim Describes Experience at Scottish Youth Parliament
An ex-member of the Scottish Youth Parliament told a jury he left the organisation due to a colleague's conduct that made him feel vulnerable and "sick to the stomach."
Jordan Linden, 30, a former SNP council leader, faces accusations involving eight boys and five young men between 2011 and 2022. The alleged victims were aged between 14 and 22 at the time of the incidents.
Linden, who resigned as leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022, denies 24 charges including sexual assault, stalking, sexual communication, and statutory breach of the peace.
Testimony at Falkirk Sheriff Court
At Falkirk Sheriff Court, a man now aged 30 recounted meeting Linden at the youth parliament when he was 15. He described incidents where Linden called him at night "panting," sent photographs of his genitalia, touched his bottom, attempted to pull down his trousers, and "poked and prodded him," including during meetings.
"There was no barrier that you'd have with a stranger
He would almost always, and not just to myself, touch your arm, try to touch you on the stomach.
He had a way of trying to touch your belt almost as if to pull your trousers down, [asking] what boxers you were wearing, tugging at the top".
The former MSYP told prosecutor Alistair McDermid that it "would be nigh on impossible" to quantify how often these incidents occurred.
He stated he communicated his discomfort to Linden and youth workers.
"Jordan touching you, on the face or the cheek or the neck – it was continuous," he explained.
"As the years went on it continued and I made myself more vocal that I didn't want it to happen. It was relentless."
The man emphasized that he made it "abundantly clear" he was heterosexual and did not want Linden to touch him.
He noted that Linden's actions were performed openly, suggesting youth workers and others would have been aware.
However, he recalled a youth worker dismissing the behaviour by saying it was "just Jordan."
Locations and Further Incidents
The jury heard that the incidents took place in various locations.
The man described how Linden would call him late at night and send "more than a handful" of photographs of his genitals. He said he was "disgusted" and did not examine the images closely.
These events led to a conversation with his female partner, who noticed the pictures on his phone, where he emphasized he was not in a relationship with Linden.
On one occasion, members of the youth parliament travelled for an event, and despite the man having made it "abundantly clear" that he should not share a room with Linden, he was initially booked into a double room with him.
He said the room arrangements were later changed, but Linden was "laughing, saying he didn't have any jammies with him, and we were booked into a double bed."
The man described what he termed "the Just Jordan behaviour" as becoming more casual over time, which made him feel vulnerable and "sick to the stomach."
Ultimately, he removed himself from the Youth Parliament to "take himself out of the equation."
Defence and Additional Charges
Linden, represented by David Moggach KC, denies all allegations.
Regarding one charge of sexual communication, he has submitted a special defence of consent.
He also asserts that two alleged sexual assaults involving a 22 or 23-year-old man in Bellshill and Glasgow in 2018 were consensual.
The Crown has indicated it will present evidence beyond the charges, including an incident involving a sleeping man at a youth hostel in Barcelona in September 2016, and an alleged assault at a hotel in Venice, Italy, in November 2018, where Linden is said to have thrown a cup and its contents at a 22-year-old man.
The trial, presided over by Sheriff Christopher Shead, is ongoing.
