Former Scottish Youth Parliament chairman 'cornered' boy, court hears

A former member of the Scottish Youth Parliament has told a trial he was "cornered" in a hotel room when he was 14 by its then chairman.

Former SNP council leader Jordan Linden, 30, is accused of offences against seven boys and five young men between 2011 and 2022.

The alleged victims were aged between 14 and 22 at the time.

Linden, who stood down as leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022, denies a total of 21 charges of sexual assault, stalking, sexual communication and statutory breach of the peace.

The man told the trial that he thought Linden – described to jurors earlier as someone with "a lot of power in the SNP" – was interested in him in a sexual way, which was not reciprocated.

The man said he was a "skinny" 14-year-old when Linden, "heavy set, six foot three or four", and five years older than him, came into his room at a hotel in Renfrewshire where members of the youth parliament were staying during a parliamentary session.

He told the court that he thought he and Linden were going to chat before the evening function he was getting ready for.

The man said: "He started adjusting and fixing my tie. He was very close to me. I think I let him.

"Then we were in the other corner of the room chatting and I remember him standing over me. He was tickling or prodding me.

"As I was backing away he was saying 'you don't like it, what're you going to do about it, what're you going to do about it' ?"

Prosecutor Alistair McDermid asked: "What was it that made you so uncomfortable?

The witness replied: "He was much bigger than me, standing over me, physically intimidating me, and I felt he was interested in me in a sexual way that wasn't reciprocated."

He said he thought Linden realised that he was uncomfortable and "really recoiling", and left.

He said the incident occurred in 2016.

He said Linden also sent him suggestive messages that became "increasingly flirtatious" and pictures on Snapchat that became more revealing including "almost but not quite nude" selfies in the bath.

The man told the jury that when Linden later stepped down as chairman of the Scottish Youth Parliament – on the back of an investigation – he had left in tears because of the way it was announced.

He said members were told at a session of the parliament.

He said: "Another member of the board, Thomas Mair, went up and made a speech that it was very sad that Jordan was no longer chair and suggested that it was unfair reasons, so I walked out of the conference room.

"It was quite visible because I was sat in the middle of the audience. I was crying."

He said that "other people who'd had more intense experiences" of Linden had gone to the board or staff but the feeling he got from the announcement was that they had all made it up.

He said: "I resented the suggestion that he'd had to step down unfairly."

Linden was formally acquitted on Thursday of charges of stalking, sexual communication and statutory breach of the peace involving one of the complainers, whom Linden had been accused of sending sexual images and messages when the recipient was 16 or 17.

The Crown withdrew the charges after the man agreed in evidence that there had been "a consensual exchange of images".

The trial, before Sheriff Christopher Shead and a jury, continues at Falkirk Sheriff Court.