JOANNA Cherry has said the SNP needs to "reflect" on how it treats activists and politicians who breach party rules.

The intervention by the party's former justice and home affairs spokeswoman, who is also a senior lawyer and QC, came after members of its Westminster group were threatened with prosecution by its chief whip over the recording and leaking of a meeting in which Ian Blackford gave his support to disgraced Patrick Grady.

In an email, Owen Thompson told colleagues that he has now contacted parliamentary security. The warning against leaking was itself leaked to the Times. 

In their report, published on Tuesday, parliament’s sleaze watchdog, the Independent Expert Panel, said that Mr Grady "made a sexual advance to the complainant", a SNP staffer who was 19 at the time of the incident in 2016, which was "clearly sexual in intent and manner, and clearly inappropriate." 

They said the harassment and the SNP's handling of the complaint has had an impact on the victim including “significant psychological consequences, leading to medical engagement”, and “significant consequential physical impacts on the complainant’s health”.

Shortly after the report was published, the SNP Westminster group met to discuss its findings. That meeting was then recorded and shared with both the Daily Mail and, later, the Sun.

Writing on Twitter today Ms Cherry said: "I wasn’t at the SNP Westminster group meeting last week. I don’t condone the covert recording or leak. However, for some time the SNP has had significant problems in how it handles complaints. 

"My party needs to reflect on the contrast between the treatment of different “offenders” and to review our arrangements for the pastoral care of complainers."Mr Grady, 42, has been suspended by the parliamentary authorities for two days, while the SNP also withdrew the whip from the MP until he had served his suspension.

However, other SNP members have received harsher treatment for misconduct.

Ms Cherry did not cite any cases in her comments today.

However, as the Herald revealed in March, SNP activist Tim Rideout was suspended by party chiefs after saying Home Secretary Priti Patel should 'be sent back home'.

In response to a tweet about the Home Secretary, Dr Rideout, who run a group calling for a faster transition to a new currency in an independent Scotland than under the process out in the SNP's Growth Commission, asked “So how do we send this person back to Uganda?”.

He added: “Clearly hasn’t a shred of humanity. Mind you, maybe the new refugee centre on St Helena might avoid inflicting her on anyone.”

Ms Patel was born in the UK and is of Indian and Ugandan heritage.

Dr Rideout later apologised for the comments and remains he suspended from the SNP.

During the leaked recording Mr Blackford can be heard telling MPs: “I think most of you know how I feel about Patrick and I would encourage the group to deliver as much support as possible.

“And let’s look forward to next week, he is going to face a number of challenges over the short term and he has our absolute full support.

“And I for one, very much looking forward to welcoming Patrick back into the group next week.

“And let’s look forward to next week, he is going to face a number of challenges over the short term and he has our absolute full support.

“And I for one, very much looking forward to welcoming Patrick back into the group next week.”

Meanwhile, Mr Grady's victim has revealed he is considering taking legal action after the SNP MP was found guilty of sexual misconduct.

The SNP employee said he would find it "difficult to find any route back to work" following the unwanted sexual advances.In an interview with LBC,he said: "In terms of working I'm considering my options.

"If that includes legal action then so be it, but I am considering my options at the moment."

He added: "In terms of work, the situation's very difficult.

"Right now it's difficult to find any route back to work to envision any route back to work, especially given the man that's responsible for staff Ian Blackford has directed the MPs to support Patrick.

"How is that going to impact on me? Should I return back to work?

I don't think I will be well received at work. I don't think anybody would blame me for having that view after hearing the audio recording.

"So, in terms of working I'm considering my options.

"If that includes legal action then so be it, but I am considering my options at the moment."

The comments come after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her party would "reflect" on its processes following Mr Grady's suspension.

Speaking to STV News on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said: "I think, like all organisations in these situations, we need to reflect on any view from a complainant that the process that was undertaken, rather than helping to resolve an issue, perhaps made the experience more difficult.

"That's what the complainer in this case has said and rather than being defensive or saying, 'we don't agree with all the details of that', I think it's right for the SNP to reflect on how we make sure in future our processes are what people would expect them to be."

She added: "One of the things that is so important here is that when people suffer this kind of behaviour, that the process they go through should not make the experience or the trauma that they have suffered worse.

"If any complainer feels that is the case, then whatever organisation that has been at stake here, they have to reflect on that and I give an absolute assurance that the SNP will."

Mr Grady made an apology in the Commons after the suspension was handed down, saying: "I am profoundly sorry for my behaviour and I deeply regret my actions and their consequences."

In a further development today, the Scottish Conservative MP John Lamont has written to Mr Blackford asking whether he and colleagues had concerns over inappropriate behaviour by Patrick Grady prior to complaints being made.

The move follows a first letter to the SNP Westminster leader on the same issue in March last year to which Mr Lamont did not receive a response.

"It is now clear why those questions were never answered. Instead of acting to tackle sexual harassment, you have sent a signal to all victims that they will not be believed, supported or respected by the SNP group if they come forward," he said.
"From the start of this scandal, we have heard that people were scared to report Patrick Grady because of his position as Chief Whip at the time, despite the fact his misconduct was widely known within the SNP group."