Бывший глава SNP Питер Мюррелл осужден за растрату и теперь проходит курсы бариста в тюремной колонии

Coffee connoisseur Peter Murrell offered barista classes in cushy jail after stealing SNP cash Peter Murrell's life behind bars revealed – from barista classes and painting parties to the luxury coffee machines, Montblanc pens and expensive watches bought during his time at the SNP. Coffee connoisseur Peter Murrell has been given access to barista classes in his cushy jail after embezzling more than £400k in SNP cash. The disgraced former party chief executive - who splashed thousands in stolen money on luxury bean machines for the home he shared with Nicola Sturgeon - can now learn to make the perfect cup at HMP Dumfries. The 61-year-old was sentenced to five years at the nick in June after he admitted to a series of fraudulent acts over a 12-year period. The Record can now reveal that an an official list of activities available to inmates at his prison, rumoured to be the easiest place to serve time, shows Barista Skill courses are among Life Skills lessons on offer. The ex-SNP powerbroker's love for a high-end brew was laid bare during the investigation into his spending of his former employers' cash - having purchased not one, but several, expensive coffee makers. Prosecutors released pictures and details of the items bought with his ill-gotten gains, including two Jura machines costing £1,865.75 and £3,231.90. A third machine on the shopping list was a Miele CM6300 worth £1,299. Together, the machines were worth more than £6,000. £660.80 was also spent on a jura glass coffee cup warmer, six Jura espresso cups and a stainless steel milk pipe, which attaches to a coffee machine. He purchased a manual espresso maker with a £141 price tag, an assortment of espresso and cappuccino mugs from Le Creuset for £354.70 and splashed £84 on five packs of gourmet Portuguese beans and £123.91 on five packs of roasted beans. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr MSP said the classes available to Murrell will raise eyebrows among ordinary Scots. He said: "While Murrell learns to perfect a £6k brew at taxpayers’ expense, Scots will be wondering whether this is really what prison is supposed to look like for someone who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds. “The SNP’s former chief executive helped fund a lavish lifestyle with money that wasn’t his to spend – now the public are entitled to ask why he appears to be getting such a cushy ride in prison.” The activity list at Dumfries prison also includes a “painting party", woodworking projects, Parkrun, gym sessions, Highland Games, half-marathon training, football tournaments and street soccer. Other Life Skills lessons offer hospitality training and cooking skills. Murrell's obsession with luxury food and beverage items was documented in a shopping list of items he bought with embezzled cash. The details, released by The Crown Office after the disgraced politician was caged, showed a huge number of kitchenware items. Among the most extraordinary were Lalique crystal salt and pepper grinders costing £2,600, while six John Lewis serving bowls and six smaller bowls came to £570. He also purchased a Smythson tea set worth £2,396 and a pair of chopsticks for £102. One wine coaster cost £3500 and there were Le Creuset measuring spoons and cups at £43, Mickey Mouse ramekins costing £39, an £85.24 Le Creuset tea kettle and an Alessi teapot worth £220. Murrell also purchased £702 Peugeot salt and pepper mills and another Peugeot mill costing £31.65. There were Wusthof shears at £62.97, Joseph Joseph tongs costing £30, a £34.95 five-in-one kitchen tool and a £21.02 baking set. An OXO wooden spoon set was listed at £14.52 and OXO containers worth £19. In total, the selection of named kitchen and food-related purchases ran into more than £10,000. Other elaborate spends included a Montblanc white gold fountain pen costing £4,225, while another yellow gold Montblanc fountain pen was valued at £2,137. There were also numerous other Montblanc pens and accessories, including rollerballs costing hundreds of pounds and a £2,370 yellow gold pen. His taste for expensive timepieces was equally striking, with two Jura watches valued at £4,795 and £4,555.25. And then there were the more unusual beauty and household purchases. A £10 Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose hand cream, a £349.99 HD01 hairdryer and Estée Lauder goods were among items uncovered during the investigation. The hairdryer attracted particular attention given Murrell is bald, while other purchases included luxury candles, reed diffuser refills and other home fragrance goods. He also spent £2,495 on a Smythson Oyster jewellery box. The former chief executive even used SNP cash to fund a £1,946 fitted library at the Uddingston home he shared with Sturgeon, accompanied by a £943 oak library ladder. The bookshelves became familiar to the public after appearing behind Sturgeon during interviews while she was First Minister. And there was the infamous £124,550 Niesmann and Bischoff motorhome, bought in October 2020 entirely with SNP funds. During Murrell's trial, the court heard he used his position as chief executive to circumvent checks and balances, including through fabricated invoices and false information provided to junior members of staff. Handing down sentence, Lord Young told Murrell that his crimes were a "calculated act of dishonesty ", representing a significant breach of trust to the SNP, its members and donors. The fraudster was initially sent to HMP Edinburgh in Saughton, but moved to Dumfries jail due to being taunted “24/7” by other inmates. A previous glowing inspection report of the prison described it as “safe", if not the safest in Scotland”. It holds around 135 long and short-term inmates who require to be separated from mainstream prisoners because of the nature of their offences. Dumfries has also previously been praised for its staff-prisoner relationships, with inmates able to maintain family links. However, Murrell's estranged wife Sturgeon has made clear she will not be visiting him behind bars. Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe in recent days, Sturgeon said she felt she had been lied to by Murrell until the moment he pleaded guilty and that she realised she had been living with someone she did not properly know. Asked if she would visit him in prison, she replied: “No. I'm not going to speak to him, I'm not going to visit him." Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.