A disgraced former SNP council leader who was jailed for sexually assaulting young men has launched a bid to clear his name.
Jordan Linden was convicted of the attacks as well as directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenagers.
The 30-year-old was sentenced to 18 months behind bars at Falkirk Sheriff Court last week.
It has now emerged that he has told his lawyers to appeal his conviction and sentence.
Linden, who was once the leader of North Lanarkshire Council, sent sexual communications to youngsters which included photos of himself in a bath. The offences took place over a ten-year period from 2011 until 2021.
He denied any wrongdoing but was convicted by jurors following a seven-day trial in March.
Linden, who also chaired the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP), claimed that the incidents either did not take place or were consensual.
Sheriff Christopher Shead ruled that there was no alternative to a jail sentence and placed Linden on the sex offenders register.
Jordan Linden was sentenced to 18 months behind bars at Falkirk Sheriff Court last week
Shamed Linden became a councillor for the SNP in 2017 and rose to become council leader in North Lanarkshire in 2022. He resigned from the post a few weeks later after the allegations came to light and was arrested in 2024.
The court heard from an SNP party official who told how, when he was 18, Linden had been drunk and ‘very handsy’ after a Dundee Pride parade.
Four of the eight victims were SYP members when they were attacked. Despite previously raising the alarm, their complaints were dismissed and he left the organisation in 2016 before an investigation had concluded.
A spokesman for the organisation said that two external investigations into how the original complaints were handled found that the SYP had ‘properly followed procedures and guidelines in place’.
The spokesman added: ‘After further allegations emerged in 2022, the SYP fully supported Police Scotland and the Crown Office investigation which subsequently led to his conviction.’
First Minister John Swinney said he was ‘very sorry’ to anyone who suffered because of Linden and ordered an independent review of the SNP’s complaints process after some witnesses claimed their allegations were ignored by the party.
The Appeal Court in Edinburgh confirmed that an ‘intention to appeal’ had been lodged.