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The man who called in police over the SNP’s finances has told Sky News “delays” in the long-running fraud investigation threatens the future of the Scottish independence movement. 

Campaigner Sean Clerkin triggered the probe more than three years ago after phoning detectives with concerns about more than £600,000 that had been fundraised for a second referendum.

Officers previously defended the duration of the inquiry, dubbed Operation Branchform, suggesting it had “moved beyond” the initial complaint.

Nicola Sturgeon‘s husband Peter Murrell has been charged with embezzlement by detectives.

However, prosecutors at the Crown Office have not yet said when, or if, they will bring the former SNP chief executive to court.

Ms Sturgeon, Scotland‘s longest-serving first minister, was arrested and released without charge in 2023. Her Glasgow home was raided by police and an evidence tent was erected in her front garden.

The 54-year-old was detained months after leaving office, but has always insisted she has done nothing wrong.

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Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell arrive for the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on day two of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Picture date: Friday June 3, 2022.
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Then Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell in 2022. File pic: PA

Sturgeon remains a suspect, but officers are currently seeking guidance from the prosecution service on what their next move should be.

Devout independence supporter Sean Clerkin has told Sky News he has been “persecuted” and received death threats for being the person who initially lodged the allegations with police.

The campaigner described frustration at what he feels has been a protracted process.

He said: “All these years down the line I have been persecuted by nationalists who have persecuted me on social media and at rallies.

“Threatening to do me in, threatened to take me out and I have had death threats.

“This case has to be wound up by the end of this year. In terms of the investigation for us to have free and fair elections in 2026 without this hanging over any of the pro-independence parties.”

Sean Clerkin (left) meets former SNP leader Alex Salmond in 2011. Pic: PA/Danny Lawson
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Sean Clerkin (left) meets former SNP leader Alex Salmond in 2011. Pic: PA/Danny Lawson

The Crown Office is currently examining a report on the high-profile case from police.

A spokesman said: “Before deciding what action to take, if any, in the public interest, prosecutors will consider if there is enough evidence.

“There must be evidence from at least two separate sources to establish that a crime was committed and that the person under investigation was the perpetrator.”

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Leading Scottish criminal defence lawyer Thomas Leonard Ross KC has told Sky News the police investigation “cannot go on indefinitely”.

He said: “Once somebody is charged then they have the right to a trial within a reasonable time.

“Before a person is formally charged, there might be an argument as to whether the clock is efficiently running.

Read more from Sky News:
Scotland ‘closer to independence’ than in 2014
Independence movement 10 years on from referendum

He continued: “There is absolutely no doubt that it is running in relation to Mr Murrell, so certainly the police and Crown office have to be alive to that.

“The police inquiry cannot go on indefinitely.”

An SNP spokesperson said: “While the police investigation has reportedly been completed and passed over to the Crown Office, the case remains active and it would be inappropriate to comment.”

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Anger grows over Prince Andrew’s ‘peppercorn rent’ arrangement as accuser’s memoirs released

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Anger grows over Prince Andrew's 'peppercorn rent' arrangement as accuser's memoirs released

Prince Andrew should give evidence to US authorities, a government minister has said, as anger grows after it emerged he had been paying “peppercorn rent” for two decades.

On Friday, Prince Andrew announced he was giving up his royal titles, including the Duke of York, after new, damaging reports about his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Passages from the memoir released on Tuesday of the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her, provide further details of their alleged encounters.

Prince Andrew has always strenuously denied the allegations.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday he would “support” Prince Andrew giving evidence to US prosecutors.

He added he would also support any decision by the Met Police to investigate allegations that Prince Andrew used a Met bodyguard to gain information on Giuffre.

It comes as anger continues to grow over Prince Andrew’s housing arrangements.

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‘Victims should be in driver’s seat’

‘Peppercorn rent’

The royal has only paid “peppercorn rent” for more than two decades at his Windsor mansion, according to a National Audit Office report published in 2005.

“Peppercorn rent” is a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid, but it’s nominal, often literally £1 a year or just a symbolic amount.

In practice, it means the tenant pays no rent.

It also shows he was required to pay a further £7.5m for refurbishments.

A document from the Crown Estate also shows he signed a 75-year lease on the property in 2003.

It reveals he paid £1m for the lease and that since then he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.

Read More:
Pressure grows on Andrew to be stripped of dukedom
Key claims from Andrew accuser’s posthumous memoir

The agreement also contains a clause which states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

Pressure is mounting on him to give up the 30-bedroom mansion.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick called for Prince Andrew to live privately.

‘He has disgraced himself’

He said: “It’s about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private and make his own way in life.

“He has disgraced himself, he has embarrassed the royal family time and again. I don’t see why the taxpayer, frankly, should continue to foot the bill at all. The public are sick of him.”

Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir was released today. Pic: Reuters
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Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir was released today. Pic: Reuters

Mr Kyle, however, said that would be a question for King Charles.

But he did say MPs could bring forward a motion to strip Prince Andrew of his remaining titles, adding it would be up to Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to choose one of these motions for debate.

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Prince Andrew: Government faces growing calls to formally strip Duke of York title

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Prince Andrew: Government faces growing calls to formally strip Duke of York title

The government is facing increasing pressure to formally strip Prince Andrew of his dukedom.

Andrew voluntarily gave up his titles last week but will technically continue to hold them unless they are removed by an Act of Parliament.

Rachael Maskell – the independent MP for York Central – told Sky News that 88% of her constituents don’t want the duke “to carry a title bearing the name of our city”.

On the Politics Hub With Darren McCaffrey, she confirmed she is advocating for a change in the law, and argued mechanisms should be in place to remove titles.

“My legislation would be able to be applied to anybody in the future as well, so we wouldn’t have this situation ever having to occur again,” Ms Maskell added.

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‘We don’t want him bearing our city’s name’

Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party (SNP) has also warned new legislation must be put forward without “any excuses and any further delay”.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: “The public knows this is the right thing to do – and even more importantly, the victims at the heart of the Epstein scandal know that it’s the right thing to do.

“Those implicated in the Epstein scandal have been able to escape justice because they have hidden behind their power and privilege.”

A proposed bill has been put forward that would also strip Lord Mandelson of his peerage – weeks after he was sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US because of his own ties to the paedophile financier.

Yesterday, the prime minister’s official spokesman said the question of legislation was “a matter for the palace in the first instance” – and Downing Street “supports the judgment of the King” regarding what should happen to Prince Andrew’s titles.

Read more:
How Prince Andrew allegations unfolded

What title loss means for Andrew’s family

Prince Andrew during the Garter Ceremony Procession in Windsor. Pic: PA
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Prince Andrew during the Garter Ceremony Procession in Windsor. Pic: PA

Accuser’s memoir published today

Pressure has been growing on Andrew amid continued reports of his relationship with Epstein, with the royal “vigorously denying” the allegations against him.

The posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre – who had accused him of sexual assault and sued him in August 2021 – is being released today. She took her own life in April.

Amy Wallace, who co-authored Nobody’s Girl, said Ms Giuffre would have regarded Andrew relinquishing his titles as a “victory”.

She told BBC Newsnight: “Virginia wanted all the men who she’d been trafficked to against her will to be held to account and this is just one of the men but … even though he continues to deny it, his life is being eroded because of his past behaviour as it should be.”

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Claims Andrew ‘tried to dig up dirt’ on accuser

The new memoir alleges that Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Ms Giuffre in 2021.

A Buckingham Palace source told Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills these claims are “being viewed with very serious and grave concern” – and “should be investigated in the proper and fullest ways”.

‘Police gaslit my sister’

Meanwhile, Ms Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law have urged the Independent Office for Police Conduct to review the Met’s decision not to continue its investigations into the allegations she made against Prince Andrew.

Sky and Amanda Roberts told Channel 4 News that Ms Giuffre had been “gaslit” by detectives – as well as British and American authorities – in what amounted to a “kick in the stomach” for her.

In other developments, questions have been raised about whether Andrew should have the right to continue living at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Details of the financial arrangements surrounding his 30-bedroom mansion have come to light.

A copy of the leasehold agreement obtained by the PA news agency shows he signed a 75-year lease on the property in 2003 at a cost of £1m.

Since then, he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year, a term used to describe a small payment that makes a contract legally binding.

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Families of domestic abuse victims are at breaking point – today they hope for answers

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Families of domestic abuse victims are at breaking point - today they hope for answers

What started as a WhatsApp group for dozens of grieving families has ended up gathering enough momentum to reach Westminster.

Warning: This article contains content you may find distressing.

The parents and relatives of loved ones who have taken their own life following domestic abuse are angry, at a loss, but up for a fight.

Sharon Holland is among those furious at how difficult it is to hold a potential perpetrator accountable for their loved ones’ deaths.

Sharon Holland (L), whose daughter Chloe died by suicide
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Sharon Holland (L), whose daughter Chloe died by suicide

Her daughter, Chloe, died by suicide in 2023 after being in a controlling relationship.

Chloe, 23, suffered months of torment at the hands of her former partner. At the time of his conviction, police said Chloe was a victim of a “horrific campaign of coercive and controlling behaviour”.

Two years on, Ms Holland has shared experiences and developed bonds with families who have been through the same trauma.

But charges and convictions for those potentially responsible are rare. That’s despite figures from the Domestic Homicide Project, funded by the Home Office and led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, showing more domestic abuse victims take their own lives in England and Wales than are killed by their partner.

There were 1,012 domestic abuse-related deaths in England and Wales between 2020 and 2024, of which 354 were suspected suicides compared to 332 homicides.

Sharon Holland said her group 'don't want this happening to someone else'
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Sharon Holland said her group ‘don’t want this happening to someone else’

Families at ‘breaking point’

Ms Holland’s group are now calling for “justice for all victims of domestic abuse-related suicides” by bringing their campaign to Westminster today.

Asked if this is a movement born out of families being at breaking point, Ms Holland said: “Absolutely.

“All of us mums or sisters all feel the same, that we don’t want this happening to someone else. It’s being dragged out for years and during that time the mums are becoming more and more ill, their health is going downhill, they’re stressed out all the time, on alert, and they just can’t get anywhere with it.

“There’s so many warnings with the police or with the NHS with various agencies that this could not end well for their daughters, and unfortunately it takes the person to die, and then we find out what the failings are.”

Families who believe there has been foul play, or know the abuse their loved ones suffered at the hands of an intimate partner contributed to them taking their own lives, say it’s difficult to be taken seriously.

“The majority of them have been fighting for five years,” Ms Holland said. “They’ve been waiting for the police to get back to them or waiting for the CPS to charge.

“One lady has just waited five years, only to finally hear back from the CPS only to find out they’re not going to charge.

“So that poor woman’s health has gone downhill, fighting for her daughter, who she suspects was a staged suicide and got nowhere.”

Pragna Patel said famillies 'are entirely on their own'
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Pragna Patel said famillies ‘are entirely on their own’

‘Heartbreaking’ for families

Families are often fending for themselves, according to Pragna Patel, co-founder of Project Resist, a charity that supports people affected by domestic abuse and violence.

She said families “are having to navigate the system entirely on their own as they try to find out the circumstances in which their loved ones took their lives and to find out how and why this happened”.

“It’s really heartbreaking to see these families knocking at the doors of the police, knocking at the door of coroners, saying: ‘We know these deaths are suspicious, we know there is a history of coercive and controlling behaviour and domestic abuse behind these deaths, and we want you to investigate.’

“On the whole, families are met with a culture of indifference, apathy and ignorance. They’re just not getting the attention they need.”

‘We must do more,’ says minister

Ms Holland and a host of other families will gather in parliament later to meet safeguarding minister Jess Phillips.

Ahead of the meeting, Ms Phillips told Sky News: “Every death linked to domestic abuse is a tragedy. We must do more to prevent them, and I will be meeting Project Resist to discuss how we can hold perpetrators to account more effectively.

“We are funding the Domestic Homicide Project to capture information on domestic abuse related deaths, including suicides, from all 43 police forces in England and Wales to improve our understanding of this issue.

“But more needs to be done. Our upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will set out our plans to strengthen our response to all domestic abuse related deaths.”

Jess Phillips
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Jess Phillips

Sky News understands there are a number of active cases being pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Part of prosecutors’ assessment of a case includes developing an understanding of the relationship history between the victim and a potential suspect and trying to understand the victim’s state of mind before their death.

But they are relying on evidence and witness statements that need to be taken in a timely manner.

They say they are raising awareness through tailored training about the links between domestic abuse and suicide, so officers are better equipped to exercise “professional curiosity”.

Ahead of the campaign’s launch, a spokesperson for the CPS said: “Domestic abuse is a heinous crime and our prosecutors are actively advised to consider murder and manslaughter charges in suicide cases where there is a known context of domestic abuse or other controlling or coercive behaviour.

“We have previously charged a number of defendants for causing the death of a partner they abused, including in proceedings which are currently active.

“We are also working with police and other stakeholders to ensure these kinds of offences are well-understood – so that we can bring perpetrators to justice for the full extent of their crimes.”

‘You cannot move forward’

Families so far have had to rely on the inquest to scrutinise the circumstances of their loved one’s death.

Chloe died two years ago and hers is yet to happen.

Ms Holland: “The way all this drags out, you cannot sit down, move forward and just grieve. You’re constantly on high alert, fighting everyone, and just hoping that it’ll be over soon.”

A delay for answers and further delay for grief.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

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