Journalist Georgia Edkins receives a tip-off about a second police raid at Peter Murrell's mother's house, leading to the discovery of a seized motorhome in the SNP fraud investigation.
As the world watched the dramatic live news coverage of police raiding Nicola Sturgeon ’s home in Glasgow, journalist Georgia Edkins received a phone call in the Mail on Sunday office that would set off a chain of events leading to one of the biggest political scandals in recent British history.
The call, from a trusted source, claimed there had been a second police raid—this time at the home of Peter Murrell’s mother, Margaret Murrell, a 92-year-old widow living in Dunfermline, Fife. The tip-off seemed almost too incredible to believe. After all, would police really target an elderly woman’s house? Yet the source was adamant, and the newsroom buzzed with a mix of excitement and skepticism.
Georgia quickly checked the electoral roll and Google Street View, confirming Margaret Murrell’s address. The question remained: should they descend on a nonagenarian’s home unannounced, potentially causing distress, all for a tip that might be false? The decision was made to proceed cautiously, with Georgia heading to Fife to speak to neighbors and gather information the old-fashioned way. Upon arriving at the housing estate, Georgia began knocking on doors.
Most neighbors were polite but unhelpful, claiming they had seen nothing or simply did not want to talk to the press. However, one passerby, who insisted on anonymity, had witnessed the entire operation. He described how two unmarked police cars—a silver SUV and a graphite-colored estate—had pulled up outside Margaret Murrell’s bungalow just after 9 a.m., with a marked police car stationed further up the road.
The officers did not enter the house, presumably out of respect for the elderly resident. Instead, their target was a motorhome that had been parked in the driveway for two years. The witness recounted how police struggled to gain access to the locked vehicle, which had clamps on it. They eventually retrieved keys, returned, and managed to open it.
Soon after, a large tow truck arrived, and after some difficulty securing the vehicle, it was hauled away. The tip-off had been partially correct—there was no raid on the house, but police had indeed seized the motorhome, which was rumored to be worth around £125,000. The seizure of the motorhome was a pivotal moment in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of £600,000 from SNP funds.
Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, had been arrested earlier that day during a raid on the couple’s Glasgow home. The motorhome, which had been sitting in his mother’s driveway, became a key piece of evidence. This revelation added a new layer of intrigue to the scandal, as rumors had been circulating for weeks about police probing the purchase of luxury items, including cars and a larger vehicle.
The story highlights the delicate balance journalists must strike between pursuing a lead and respecting individuals’ privacy, especially when dealing with vulnerable sources. For Georgia Edkins and the Mail on Sunday, a simple 30-second phone call had ignited a firestorm that would ultimately contribute to the downfall of one of Scotland’s most powerful political figures
SNP Scandal Peter Murrell Motorhome Seizure Nicola Sturgeon Political Investigation
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