The Daily Record can reveal the senior politician used the gay dating app Grindr to connect with Holyrood staff.
A senior politician used the gay dating app Grindr to connect with Holyrood staff
The Scottish Parliament faces a new sleaze storm over claims no action was taken after an MSP sent sexual pictures of himself to a young assistant in the Holyrood building.
The Daily Record can reveal the senior politician used the gay dating app Grindr to connect with Holyrood staff.
He brazenly sent one young male worker images of his own private parts.
The worker reported it to the Scottish Parliament HR department but the married MSP was allowed to carry on with day-to-day duties and behaved as though nothing had happened.
The complainer has now told the Daily Record he is unaware of any action being taken.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: “The photos were worse than creepy, they were obscene.
“He was targeting people in the building. There was a faceless profile lurking on gay staff members’ Grindr profiles, it ended up being him. He was operating in a close radius, which was revealed in the app.
“I was amazed he started off anonymous then very quickly be so open and reveal his face at the same time he sent naked, extreme pornographic stuff.
“I wasn’t aware of him even being spoken to. I felt it was brushed under the carpet.”
The Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh(Image: PA)
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The Daily Record has spoken to several men who viewed the photos of the naked MSP in obscene poses – with his face in full view. The complainer, who was shocked by the graphic content, reported the MSP in 2018.
The ex parliamentary assistant said: “I got a ping from an unknown profile – but he knew it was me as he mentioned my first name.
“My profile only had my initials. I had an initial conversation and knew it was someone nearby. He would have known how close people he was contacting were, within a few yards. The next thing a picture came through. The images are burned on my brain.
“He was in an aroused state and naked. I could see his face. Some were worse. He went from zero to 10 with graphic content in just a few messages.”
The victim discussed the episode with his employer, a prominent MSP, at the time. He also showed the images to work friends. He claims other gay parliamentary assistants received similar approaches via Grindr from the MSP.
He said: “My MSP pushed me to out him. I was in discussions with HR. The right thing to do would be a formal complaint. But I knew he had children. I didn’t want them to be put through that.”
He added: “I am aware of another colleague who did raise it with their MSP.” The victim said he flagged the conduct to HR and was told they would speak to the MSP’s business manager. The source said there was “no chance” the MSP’s actions would not have reached party bosses.
He said: “I refuse to believe they wouldn’t have known, given how brazen he was.” A friend, who the victim confided in at the time of the photos being sent, said: “The MSP walked past while we were having lunch. He waved over and I knew from my friend’s reaction he was uncomfortable.
“I saw the photos. I couldn’t believe how brazen they were, proper X-rated and offensive.
“The lingering thoughts I had were about him getting off with it. He was a married man in a position of power very explicitly targeting younger men in junior positions. He should have been stopped in his tracks.”
The revelations come after Labour MSP Colin Smyth was charged with sex offences, incl-uding possession of child porn images and placing a secret camera in Holyrood toilets. His Holyrood pass was only deactivated on the day the Record revealed he had been charged over the camera claims.
We also revealed Smyth met a Girl Guides group at Holyrood after being charged with possession of sexual images of kids.
After the claims against Smyth, Holyrood’s Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone told MSPs she was “absolutely appalled” as she sought to address concerns.
The Scottish Parliament said: “Anyone contacting the HR Team regarding harassment is signposted to information on how to make a complaint. In every case, our team proactively follows up with individuals until a conclusion is reached. All complaints are investigated independently of Parliament.”