Councillor who defended SNP sex predator Jordan Linden to be probed by college bosses

By HANNAH RODGER, CHIEF REPORTER FOR THE SCOTTISH MAIL ON SUNDAY Published: 19:11, 11 April 2026 | Updated: 19:11, 11 April 2026 A college is probing two complaints against a councillor who claimed the only thing SNP sex predator Jordan Linden was guilty of was ‘being a young person’. Kirsten Larson, a modern studies lecturer at New College Lanarkshire, made the comments during a meeting of the SNP group in the wake of Linden’s resignation as North Lanarkshire Council leader. Now the mother of one of his victims has lodged a formal complaint with college bosses, arguing she is not fit to work with young people given her ‘serious lapse in judgment’. She said: ‘Ms Larson’s attitude is exactly why it took so long for Jordan Linden to be held to account for his disgusting crimes against my son, and seven other young men and boys. It shows a serious lapse in judgment by someone who is not only a representative of her community on the council, but responsible for teaching young people. ‘She shouldn’t be anywhere near young people when this is the attitude.’ The Mail on Sunday understands a student also complained, with bosses now agreeing to investigate. The angry mother added: ‘What if a student had a similar issue, like my son did with Jordan Linden? ‘Would she claim they were only being a “young person” too and there was no wrongdoing? ‘I hope that Ms Larson faces the full disciplinary process and also realises the effect her comments have had on victims of sexual abuse and family members who have to live with trauma for the rest of their lives.’ Kirsten Larson was recorded stating Linden was only guilty of 'being a young person' Former SNP council leader Jordan Linden has been convicted of 10 sex crimes Ms Larson was secretly recorded by concerned SNP councillors during an internal group meeting, following Linden’s resignation as leader in 2022. He had quit after newspaper reports revealed he had sexually assaulted an SNP member at a party in Dundee.  Ms Larson, who was then responsible for education at the council, told colleagues: ‘In my opinion, based on the information I have, the only thing Jordan Linden is guilty of is being a young person.’ Linden quit the council for good when new allegations were made against him in 2023, which prompted a complaint to the police by fellow councillor Cameron McManus. He claimed Linden had sexually assaulted him while on an SNP youth trip in Barcelona, and accused the party of failing to take his complaints seriously. During the meeting in 2022 Tracy Carragher, Ms Linden’s deputy, was heard telling fellow councillors to be mindful of the predator’s ‘mental health’. Ms Carragher, who was a defence witness for Linden during his trial, has been sacked as an SNP Holyrood candidate and suspended from the party over her handling of the issue. Opposition politicians have now called on the First Minister to suspend Larson as well. Meghan Gallacher, of the Scottish Conservatives, said: ‘This crass comment is an insult to Jordan Linden’s victims, so it’s hardly surprising they have sparked outrage. John Swinney took far too long before finally suspending Tracy Carragher from the SNP. He must now take similar action against Kirsten Larson, whose position is equally untenable.’ Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: ‘Jordan Linden is a convicted sex offender. Kirsten Larson’s remarks diminishing his actions were not only completely misguided, but offensive to Linden’s victims.’ A spokesman for New College Lanarkshire said: ‘All public bodies in Scotland must comply with the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman complaints handling procedures. We are therefore unable to comment further.’ The SNP and Ms Larson did not respond to requests for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.