The SNP was warned simply months after intercourse pest Jordan Linden turned a councillor that he was “not match” to characterize the get together.
A member involved about his rise by way of the ranks contacted SNP bosses to inform them of a litany of sexual harassment and sexual assault claims from a number of alleged victims.
A Sunday Mail investigation can reveal that these claims included:
● SENDING specific photos to a 14-year-old boy.
● ASSAULTING a young person after the pair needed to share a resort room.
● GROOMING of younger males.
● MESSAGING to apologise for sending inappropriate messages and nude photographs.
The warning was emailed to SNP bosses in November 2017, 5 months after Linden, who hoped to change into an MP, turned an elected official in North Lanarkshire.
It learn: “Jordan Linden is just not match to characterize the SNP as a political organisation. I hope you do look into these particulars and query him on his earlier conduct.”
Linden, 27, turned chief of the council in Might this 12 months, however was pressured to resign final week after our story revealed a young person claimed the depute SNP council chief had groped and sexually assaulted him at a celebration after Homosexual Pleasure in Dundee on September 21 2019.
SNP compliance officer Ian McCann contacted the sufferer and Linden apologised. 4 days later, he withdrew his bid to change into a MP for the realm.
A number of of the lads who've come ahead to the Sunday Mail had been members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) when Linden was chairman.
That they had reported Linden’s conduct to the board of SYP, which we will reveal particulars of for the primary time.
One in every of them, college pupil Jack O’Hara, now 21, has waived his proper to anonymity to say that he was despatched undesirable semi-nude lewd photographs and routinely propositioned by 21-year-old Linden.
One other man instructed us how he instructed police in 2017 he had been sexually assaulted by Linden after a mistake in a resort room reserving, however didn't wish to press prison costs as he felt he wouldn't be believed.
Others instructed us how Linden recurrently despatched them inappropriate messages and photos by way of Snapchat after which messaged the following day apologising for the photographs and chat.
Once they reported their claims, a intently guarded investigation by the SYP and an out of doors regulation agency in 2016 dominated that there was no case to reply.
Linden by that point had already resigned as SYP chairman. However his alleged victims remained sad and earlier than police dominated there was no proof of criminality, Linden had branded them “liars”.
The next 12 months, he was elected as an SNP councillor.
The SNP member who issued the warning final week wrote to get together bosses, asking the get together re-investigate the allegations in gentle of Linden admitting his behaviour at a celebration in 2019.
And opposition events have additionally referred to as on the SNP to reply questions on how Linden received to change into a council boss.
Linden resigned as council chief on Wednesday after admitting wrongdoing, however stated he intends to stay as an SNP councillor.
He stated: “Though I've by no means approached any private interplay with in poor health intent, I settle for that my behaviour at that get together in 2019 prompted a way of discomfort which I totally remorse.”
North Lanarkshire Labour councillor Jim Logue demanded the SNP hierachy come clear on who knew what and when concerning the accusations in opposition to Linden.
He stated: “Based mostly on these new allegations I'm of a view that Councillor Linden is unfit to carry any public workplace and will significantly query his present place as a councillor.
“For the reason that election in Might 2022 the SNP in North Lanarkshire have presided over three months of a whole absence of political management, with no committees assembly or any articulation of any insurance policies or service developments.
“The questions for the SNP domestically and nationally are: Who knew what about his presenting behaviours? Why was Councillor Linden accepted as a councillor? And moreover why was he elected because the Chief of the Council?
“We now have an administration which is incapable of offering the required management which North Lanarkshire expects or requires.”
Scottish Labour MSP Neil Bibby stated: “These revelations are surprising and once more elevate questions on how the SNP strategy complaints within the get together.Evidently from the very high the strategy to complaints is to lie and to shut ranks.
“A celebration of presidency should do higher – and the shameful makes an attempt to brush this beneath the carpet by the SNP should finish.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy chief Wendy Chamberlain MP commented: “That is surprising. The SNP have very critical inquiries to reply.
“Scandal after scandal is surfacing on the very coronary heart of a rotten SNP management whose first intuition and precedence appears to all the time be to guard the get together and reputations of senior figures.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells stated: “As quickly as the primary allegations round Linden emerged, the very first thing the SNP did was attempt to maintain them from the general public.
“Their first thought was to guard the get together as a substitute of the complainer. We've seen this strategy many occasions from the SNP, most lately in the course of the Patrick Grady scandal.
“Despite the fact that Linden finally did the suitable factor, the SNP continued to say there was nothing to see right here, to belittle journalists working within the public curiosity, and proceed the smokescreen.
“It’s time for a wholesale by the SNP of how they deal with instances of abuse and harassment inside their ranks, aside from by closing them on the first signal of hassle.”
An SNP spokeswoman stated: “We had been conscious that the Scottish Youth Parliament had requested Police Scotland to research allegations that would have included people who had been members of the Scottish Nationwide Celebration.
"We perceive Police Scotland concluded that no motion was required.
“The SNP takes all complaints significantly. If one other organisation upheld a criticism in opposition to an SNP member, we might have needed to think about if it had any influence on that particular person’s membership standing however our understanding is that no complaints had been ever established.”
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