I committed no crime says sex-row ex-minister on return to Holyrood
FORMER childcare minister Mark Mcdonald has defended his return to Holyrood as an independent MSP by arguing his sexual misconduct did not amount to a crime.
Facing the media after a four-month absence from parliament, he said he had “apologised sincerely and profusely” for his actions, and asked for a “second chance”.
But he refused numerous times to reveal the sexual content of the messages he sent to women who complained about him.
The 37-year-old left the government on November 4 after admitting “inappropriate” behaviour, but initially downplayed it as a ham-fisted attempt at humour.
After a second complaint against him emerged, he was suspended from the SNP, and after a protracted internal investigation, he finally quit the party last week.
A summary of the probe said he had deliberately and persistently pestered two women with “inappropriate and unwanted” messages, paid them “unwanted attention causing distress”, and was guilty of “exploiting his position of power”.
His decision to carry on as an independent MSP means he stands to collect around £200,000 in pay by the 2021 election.
In 2013, Mr Mcdonald signed a Holyrood motion urging former SNP MSP Bill Walker to leave the parliament after he was convicted of domestic abuse.
Asked why he deserved a second chance but Mr Walker didn’t, Mr Mcdonald said: “Bill Walker was convicted of a criminal offence and that was the thing that led to him leaving parliament at the time. At no stage in this process has there been any indication or suggestion that my conduct was criminal, and that remains the case.”
Pressed to disclose the content of the messages he sent his victims, Mr Mcdonald said: “I don’t think it would be appropriate to say here and now. I have held my hands up to the fact that I shouldn’t have sent the messages. My conduct fell below the standard that should be expected of an elected representative. I accept that.”
Nicola Sturgeon, who initially said Mr Mcdonald would remain a “good MSP” after he quit, has called on him to resign from parliament, creating a by-election.
Asked why he didn’t “do the honourable thing” and let the voters judge him, Mr Mcdonald said a by-election would not let him show his behaviour was changing.
He added: “I’m here to keep my head down and do the job I was elected to do.”
SNP MSP James Dornan, one of whose staff was off work after being harassed by Mr Mcdonald, has asked Holyrood’s Standards Committee to investigate him.
Seen as the parliament’s pariah, Mr Mcdonald has been moved to a basement office next to the car park after being spurned by his former SNP colleagues.
Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who is advising Mr Dornan’s worker, said: “What a disgrace that this man compounds the agony of his victims by scuttling back to a stage managed press conference. As he issues more selfdenial and half-baked apologies, he clearly has learned no lessons. ”
Scottish Libdem leader Willie Rennie, who tabled the Holyrood motion urging Mr Walker to quit in 2013, said: “When signing my motion, Mark Mcdonald clearly acknowledged the standards demanded of parliamentarians.
“By not applying these same standards to himself he is left looking deeply hypocritical.
“The Mark Mcdonald of 2018 should listen to the Mark Mcdonald of 2013 and step down.”
A Scottish Tory spokesman said: “The public will have many more questions over this process and what actually happened here. This emotionless appearance did nothing to address that issue, and neither has the SNP’S silence on the matter.”