Newly published police photographs of the luxury motorhome purchased by former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell have prompted renewed scrutiny of claims by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that she had no memory of seeing the vehicle while it was parked at her mother-in-law’s home.
The images, released as part of official evidence by Scotland’s prosecution authorities, show the £124,550 motorhome parked beside the Dunfermline bungalow where it remained for more than two years before being seized by police in April 2023.
Murrell was recently convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the SNP. The motorhome was described during court proceedings as the largest single purchase made using the misappropriated funds.
The newly published photographs show the sizeable vehicle parked on the driveway beside the bungalow. The images have led critics to question whether it would have been possible for regular visitors to the property not to notice it.
Sturgeon has consistently maintained that she had “no conscious memory” of seeing the motorhome during the period it was parked there. Speaking publicly following Murrell’s conviction, she said she only became aware of the vehicle in early 2023 after hearing reports about questions being asked during the police investigation.
She has also stated that she visited the property only a small number of times during the relevant period and argued that the vehicle was not immediately visible from where she would normally arrive and park.
Her solicitor, Aamer Anwar, has provided alternative photographs of the property which he argues demonstrate that the motorhome would not necessarily have been visible from certain approaches to the bungalow. He has maintained that Sturgeon was unaware of the purchase and had no involvement in Murrell’s criminal conduct.
However, the police images have intensified debate over that explanation.
The motorhome, a Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4 E, was purchased in October 2020 and delivered to Murrell in January 2021. It was then driven to his mother’s property in Dunfermline, where it remained until officers seized it as part of the investigation into SNP finances.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said the photographs raised serious questions about the credibility of Sturgeon’s account and renewed his call for a parliamentary inquiry into the wider affair.
No criminal allegations have been made against Sturgeon and she has not been charged with any offence. Police Scotland’s investigation into SNP finances previously resulted in her arrest and subsequent release without charge.
The publication of the photographs is nevertheless likely to fuel further political debate.
Critics argue that the images make the large motorhome difficult to overlook, particularly given its size and proximity to the house. Supporters of Sturgeon counter that visibility depends on the direction of approach and that no evidence has emerged showing she knew about the purchase at the time.
The central question remains one that is likely to continue attracting attention: if the motorhome was as visible as the newly released photographs appear to suggest, how could someone visiting the property have failed to notice it?
