Nicola Sturgeon says SNP MP's victim was not supported by party

The SNP's Westminster group has questions to answer over its handling of a harassment complaint against MP Patrick Grady, the FM has said.

Nicola Sturgeon said she still had confidence in her party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford.

But she said a victim who does not feel supported "is by definition unsupported".

Mr Grady was found to have made unwanted sexual advances to a teenage SNP staffer.

An independent panel said he last week that he touched and stroked the neck, hair and back of his male colleague during a social event in 2016, and recommended the former SNP chief whip be suspended from parliament for two days.

It emerged that Mr Blackford had subsequently urged his party's MPs to "give as much support as possible" to Mr Grady after audio of an SNP group meeting was leaked to the Daily Mail.

Mr Grady's victim told BBC Scotland on Thursday that the party was closing ranks and attempting to discredit him in order to limit the fallout from the case, and was more interested in finding the source of the leaked audio than addressing the issues that it raised.

He dismissed Mr Blackford's apology over what was said at the group meeting and his "regret" that the victim felt unsupported as a "cop out" and a "publicity stunt" that was done to protect the politician's position and reputation.

Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament later on Thursday that the comments made by Mr Blackford and SNP MP Amy Callaghan - who also urged MPs to "rally round" Mr Grady - in the leaked audio were "utterly unacceptable" and "indefensible".

Speaking to BBC Scotland on Friday morning, the first minister repeated her offer to meet the victim to discuss his concerns about the way his complaint was handled and the lack of support he says he was given by the SNP after he made the allegation against Mr Grady.

The first minister said: "I know Ian Blackford feels deep regret that the victim in this case fuels unsupported.

"And let me be very clear - a victim who feels unsupported by definition was unsupported, because making sure a victim feels supported is a crucial part of any process and I take seriously".

The staffer has accused Mr Blackford of attempting to "ambush" him after he initially made his complaint by inviting him to a meeting without telling him Mr Grady was also going to be there.

Mr Blackford also allowed Mr Grady to remain in his role as the SNP's chief whip for the next three years while his victim continued to work for the party at Westminster, which he described as a "living hell".

The first minister said: "I have confidence in Ian Blackford, but that is not saying that I don't think there are questions here to be addressed and answered by the SNP, including by our Westminster group. I absolutely think that is the case.

"What I think about what happened is not unimportant - I'm the leader of the SNP.

"But what is most important is what the victim and the complainer in this case thinks happened, and whether that was appropriate or not."

The MP initially refused interview requests by BBC Scotland in response to the claims that were made about his handling of the case by Mr Grady's victim, who is still employed by the SNP.

But he did agree to speak on Thursday evening, when he said Mr Grady should "reflect on his behaviour" - but refused to directly call on him to step down as an MP.

Mr Blackford said: "Of course I apologise for how the complainant feels in this process and I am offering to sit down and meet with the complainant so I can listen to them and draw any lessons that need to be learned."

Mr Blackford also said that he "regrets the fact the discussion took place in the way that it did" during the group meeting when he asked MPs to support Mr Grady.

He added: "I was responding to a particular question about what would happen once Patrick had served his suspension.

"There has been an independent process that has found Patrick Grady guilty of a serious misdemeanour. When someone has served a suspension of course I have got to make sure that people are not put in a position where they feel the punishment they are going to see is going to be ongoing.

"I am absolutely determined that our processes are fit for purpose, that they are as good as they can be, and that any complainant in any situation can be properly supported."

Mr Blackford has faced calls to resign from the Conservatives and Labour, with Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross claiming the victim had been "badly let down every single step of the way by the SNP".

Mr Ross said: "The handling of this whole sorry affair has been a disgrace from start to finish and has been ongoing for years. Patrick Grady's behaviour was covered up and the SNP have put more focus on party discipline than supporting a victim.

"The disgusting actions of the SNP Westminster leader have made it less likely that any victims come forward in the future. No wonder the victim has rejected the feeble, hollow apology that Ian Blackford gave after days of silence."

Labour's Shadow Scottish Secretary, Ian Murray, said there was a "pattern of behaviour" in the SNP where harassment is covered up by senior party leadership figures, and that there were "incredibly serious questions that must be answered".

In its report, the Independent Expert Panel - which recommends punishments for MPs over bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct - wrote: "An unwanted physical touching, with sexual intent, from a senior MP to a junior member of staff, even on a single occasion, is a significant breach of the policy."

It noted that Mr Grady had shown "genuine remorse" and made "efforts to address his behaviour".

But it recommended that he "be suspended for two sitting days, make a public apology in the House of Commons, and a private one to the complainant".

Mr Grady, the MP for Glasgow North, has admitted his behaviour and said he apologised unreservedly for it.

He told the Commons: "I am profoundly sorry for my behaviour and I deeply regret my actions and their consequences" and pledged that it would never

He also pledged that "such behaviour on my part will never happen again".

Meanwhile, SNP MP Patricia Gibson has been cleared of allegations of sexual misconduct against the same male staff member.

The complaint against her was initially upheld by the Parliament's Standard's Commissioner, which found that she had made unwelcome physical contact of a sexual nature in Stranger's Bar in Parliament in January 2020 while she was drunk.

But she appealed to the Independent Expert Panel, which ruled on Thursday that the initial investigation "was materially flawed in a way that affected the decision of the Commissioner".