SNP 'downplayed' complaints about former council leader, trial hears

A councillor has told a court that the SNP "downplayed or ignored" his complaints about the behaviour of Jordan Linden - one of the party's leading politicians.

Linden, a former council leader, is on trial accused of 21 offences against seven boys and five young men between 2011 and 2022 - including sexual assault, stalking, sexual communication and statutory breach of the peace.

The man told the trial about an instance when he was 18, where Linden climbed into his bed, kissed and "caressed" him, and did not stop when asked.

He said he reported Linden's behaviour to police in 2023 because he "did not feel confident" the reports he had made to the SNP would be dealt with appropriately.

Linden, from Bellshill, stood down as leader of North Lanarkshire Council in 2022. He denies all charges.

The man told Falkirk Sheriff Court how, he, Linden and other members of Young Scots for Independence - the youth wing of the SNP - were in Spain for a Catalonian national day event in September 2016.

Following a night out in Barcelona, the man said the group he was with "raced" back to their youth hostel and went to bed.

During the night, he said Linden climbed into the top bunk beside him.

The witness said: "His presence woke me up. He was sort of cuddling me from behind, sort of spooning, moving his arms up and down my legs and my stomach.

"He started just above the knee and sort of caressed up the way, cutting into the stomach in a continuous motion.

"There were a few attempts to kiss my neck. His lips made contact with my neck. It was as if he was trying to get longer kisses."

The man said he tried to push Linden away and told him to stop, but Linden carried on for "a couple of minutes", which felt longer.

He said he felt "kind of unsafe and insecure" as a result, but tried to forget it and get on with the trip.

At the time, he said Linden was working or volunteering for an SNP MSP.

Linden, now 30, rose from being an SNP group assistant business manager to being North Lanarkshire council leader.

Meanwhile, the witness was elected as a councillor.

He said Linden "was always trying to be over-friendly".

The man also said he tried to dress smartly for his council position, but before or after meetings Linden regularly made comments about his suit trousers or his tops being "tight" on him.

He said: "I started to modify the way I dressed as a result of the comments Mr Linden was making."

He said he felt, overall, that he could not play a full part in his job as a result.

He told prosecutor Alistair McDermid that he went to police in 2023 to report Linden's conduct because he "did not feel confident" that internal reports he had made within the party from 2022 onwards would be dealt with appropriately.

He said: "Everywhere I went for help in the SNP I was ignored or it was downplayed."

The trial, before Sheriff Christopher Shead and jury, continues.

The court heard from another SNP party official who said Linden had locked him in a bathroom and tried to get him to urinate while he watched.

The man who was 18 at the time, said the incident took place at a post-event gathering in an Airbnb after he had attended the 2019 Dundee Pride parade with Out For Independence, the LGBT wing of the SNP.

He said Linden – who was older than him – turned a "nice atmosphere" uncomfortable.

He told the jury: "He was very loud, very intoxicated, rambling a bit, getting in people's faces, being a general nuisance.

"He was very handsy with people.

"He kept sitting on me, putting his hands near my crotch, putting his hands down my top."

Linden then allegedly followed him into the toilet and locked the door behind them.

He said: "I turned round, and there was Jordan. I was pretty scared to be honest. Jordan asked me if I was scared, which made me more scared.

"He came towards me. I froze. He was very strange. He was trying to get me to go to the toilet while he watched.

"He was biting and kissing my ear, he was trying to touch my crotch."

He said Linden was constantly saying to him, "Stop being nasty to me, why are you so mean?"

The man, now an office manager for an SNP MSP, said he was "deeply uncomfortable", "unfroze", unlocked the door, and went back into the main area.

He said that despite booking the waterfront Airbnb, he decided not to remain, and asked the then equalities convenor for the SNP, Fiona Robertson, to drive him home.

After she dropped him off, he messaged her with details of what he said happened.

Robertson told the court: "I encouraged him to take it seriously. I said we should meet up and discuss going to the police, go to the Party, or find him help in some other way."

A formal report was not made until police contacted the witness in 2023.

He said: "Jordan was quite senior, particularly in the context of young people. I didn't want to cause any problems for anyone, including myself."

A second man, aged 20, who also attended the gathering in Dundee said Linden had repeatedly tugged at his belt and his waistband as they sat on a sofa, trying to pull down his trousers to see his underwear.

The man, also part of Out For Independence, said he had not reported the incident as Linden held "sway and power" in the SNP.