Crown Office advises ministers to avoid Peter Murrell comment before sentence

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 13:02, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 13:21, 1 June 2026 Ministers have been told by prosecutors to keep quiet about the details of the Peter Murrell scandal until sentencing, the Mail can reveal. The Crown Office led by outgoing Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, KC, has advised them to avoid giving the impression of political pressure. Murrell’s conviction meant the proceedings are no longer considered ‘live’ for media reporting under the Contempt of Court Act because there was no trial, meaning jurors could not be prejudiced. But it is understood the Crown Office believes that any public commentary on the detail of the case by political figures would be ‘sub judice’ and should be ‘avoided’. Scottish Tory justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: ‘This is another instance of the SNP hiding behind process to avoid giving the public the straight answers they deserve. ‘This affair stinks, and the public will not be fobbed off with the usual Nat deflections and evasions.’  The Crown guidance is surprising because judges are trained to decide cases only on the evidence, meaning public commentary is generally permitted to a much greater extent when no jury is involved. A Crown Office spokesman said: ‘The restrictions imposed by the Contempt of Court Act 1981 continue to apply until Peter Murrell is sentenced and therefore any public comment on the matter is to be avoided.’ 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.