You were a role model and MP, then betrayed trust placed in you by others
McGarry gets two years for embezzling £24k from Nats
SHAMED former MP Natalie McGarry was yesterday jailed for two years after pinching more than £24,600 from two pro-independence groups.
The one-time SNP rising star was trusted as treasurer of Women for Independence (WFI) and her party’s Glasow Regional Association (GRA).
But while they helped fulfil her dream of becoming an MP, she betrayed them by blowing the money on rent, takeaways, groceries and a holiday to Spain.
At the same time, McGarry, 41, was borrowing cash from friends including SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and complained of being “skint” despite her £67,000 salary.
Sheriff Tom Hughes told the mum of one: “You were a role model for aspiring politicians and you became an MP.
“By your involvement in these offences, you have not only betrayed the trust placed in you by others but your standards have fallen well short of what the public have the right to expect from politicians and MPs.”
McGarry helped found WFI in 2012 with former health secretary Jeane Freeman and ex-Scottish Socialist MSP Carolyn Leckie.
Donations to the group via PayPal and £27,700 from online fundraisers went into McGarry’s personal bank account.
But colleagues became suspicious after a financial report to the 2015 AGM was described as “gobbledygook”.
A probe that year unearthed a £31,824 hole and police were called. At her trial, the jury was shown a bank statement in which McGarry’s personal account had a balance of £10.74 – later topped up by a PayPal transfer of £1700. A £1000 rent payment came off the next day. McGarry also went on holiday to Spain around that time. She transferred £1140 from her account to partner David Meikle, a Tory councillor, who had just spent £1035 on flights and car hire. McGarry also failed to pay charity Positive Prisons Positive Futures £360 from a bucket collection and a similar one for a Perth food bank. Constituency office manager Rachel Mackie told the trial: “She made a fortune, she was on a good salary and her partner was a councillor – she would be in the office complaining about being skint all the time.”
As treasurer of the GRA, McGarry made cheques out to herself but did not pass on the money which was due to firms for services.
She also claimed expenses from Parliament as Glasgow East MP for bills she paid from the GRA purse.
McGarry was found guilty in May of embezzling £19,974 from WFI between 2013 and 2015, and £4661 from the GRA from 2014 to 2015.
Even yesterday, she was still pleading hardship. She showed no emotion as she was sentenced.
Defence counsel Allan MacLeod told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “She said the last seven years have been almost intolerable for her and the consequence is she has been ostracised by former colleagues and people she was friends with and lost her job at parliament.”
McGarry has only paid back £6436.21. A Proceeds of Crime hearing to recoup the cash will take place in August.