Sturgeon tells BBC: I'm serving a sentence for crime I didn't commit

Sturgeon tells BBC: I'm serving a sentence for crime I didn't commit 5 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Laura Kuenssberg Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg "I will not apologise for the crimes of my former husband", says Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon has told the BBC she feels like she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" after her estranged husband admitted embezzling £400,000 from the SNP, the party she led for years. In an exclusive interview with Laura Kuenssberg, Scotland's former first minister refused to apologise for the scandal and struggled to hold back tears, recalling gifts from Peter Murrell that turned out to have been purchased with stolen money. Sturgeon told the BBC: "I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes." She has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell's wrongdoing, committed between 2010 and 2022. The former first minister was not charged following a police investigation. Sturgeon was SNP party leader between 2014 and 2023 and in that role shared responsibility for monitoring the party's accounts. Sturgeon the master communicator was close to tears - but still faces more questions Sturgeon's personal life and politics collide in BBC interview In the interview, broadcast on Sunday, Sturgeon said: "For my own sake, but for the sake of people out there, a lot of women who end up finding themselves blamed for the actions of the men in their lives, I'm not going to contribute to that kind of sense that I am responsible for somebody else's crimes." She added: "I will take responsibility for the things I do, the decisions I make. I'm sitting here with you right now, answering questions because I believe strongly in that accountability. "But I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes." Sturgeon's interview was met with scepticism from some and a demand for further investigation into the scandal. UK government minister Pat McFadden warned there should not be a "culture of control and secrecy that just tries to shut this down". Sturgeon describes 'bewilderment' after discovering necklace came from embezzled funds Asked if she bore no responsibility at all despite her role, Sturgeon told the BBC: "No... [Murrell] perpetrated a crime on the SNP. By definition, that included me as the party leader. He misled. He deceived. "He is serving and will be serving a sentence for a crime he committed. I'm out here feeling as if I'm serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit." That echoed comments from the former first minister earlier in the week, when she told an audience at a literary festival she was "deceived, betrayed and lied to" by her husband. The largest single transaction made by Murrell was £124,550 for a motorhome which was parked at his mother's house. David Cardwell The motorhome has been confiscated by police Sturgeon said