Ex North Lanarkshire Council boss sentenced for campaign of sexual abuse

The former leader of North Lanarkshire Council has been jailed for 18 months for sexually assaulting five young men.

The 30-year-old was also found guilty of sending unwanted sexual messages to seven teenagers, the youngest aged 14.

He was convicted in March of sexual assault, stalking and indecent communication between 2011 and 2021.

On one occasion, he sexually assaulted two victims at a house party after a Dundee Pride March in 2019.

He locked one of his victims in the toilet and demanded they urinated in front of him.

He was also convicted of directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenage boys.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Diane Barr said: "This was a protracted investigation which involved speaking with a broad range of people, many of whom regarded Linden as being in a position of trust.

"He abused this position to befriend young males who were seeking his support and the opportunity to learn from his work, however his conduct toward them was far from professional.

"I'd like to thank the victims who came forward to report their experiences to police. Their testimony and support ensured that we were able to bring Linden before the courts.

"Noone should be subjected to sexual offending, and we will always investigate reports, regardless of when they occurred or who the perpetrator is."

A spokesperson for the Board of the Scottish Youth Parliament said:

"SYP recognises the seriousness of this case and the concern it has caused, and we reiterate that our thoughts remain with those who were harmed by Linden’s actions.

“SYP twice commissioned external investigations into how we handled allegations made against Linden in 2016, which established there was no evidence of criminality based on the information we had at that time, and that we had properly followed procedures and guidelines in place.

“In November 2017, we also referred fresh allegations to Police Scotland, which is responsible for investigating potential criminality, and it later confirmed that no criminality had been established and its inquiry concluded.

“After further allegations emerged in 2022, the SYP fully supported Police Scotland and the Crown Office investigation which subsequently led to Linden’s conviction.

“Throughout this period, SYP referred concerns to the appropriate authorities and cooperated fully with external investigations. We remain committed to maintaining a safe environment for all young people and to continually improving its safeguarding practice.

“Our safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures have been reviewed and strengthened on a regular basis, including in 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2024, with further updates planned this year."

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