John Swinney was last night forced to issue a grovelling apology to the victims of SNP sex predator Jordan Linden.

However, four years after complaints about twisted Linden were ignored by the SNP, the First Minister failed to own up to his party’s failings over the scandal.

He finally said sorry yesterday – three days after Linden was convicted of ten sex offences and after The Mail confronted him at a pro-independence rally.

But last night his apology was branded ‘pathetic and grovelling’ by his political opponents

His apology came as three men abused by the 30-year-old former SNP council leader yesterday demanded a probe into the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) by charity regulators and compared the organisation to the ‘Hunger Games’ – a dystopian film about teenagers who are forced to fight to the death.

Mr Swinney told the MoS: ‘The first thing I want to say is I would apologise to anyone affected by the whole process and experience that has happened here.

‘A lot of issues have come to light about Jordan Linden’s conduct.’

The First MInister said he was sorry to those affected by Linden and the ‘whole process’

Jordan Linden abused young men and boys over a decade, including while he was an SNP councillor

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was a former ally of shamed SNP predator Jordan Linden

He repeated that he has ordered an ‘independent review’ into the SNP’s own examination of its complaints handling procedure from 2022, ‘to ensure it is fit for purpose for the future’ and said: ‘We have to make sure that when it gets complaints it addresses them properly and I’m confident we will do that.’

Swinney claimed he had no prior knowledge of Linden’s misconduct ‘until it came into the public domain’.

But last night his apology was branded ‘pathetic and grovelling’ by his political opponents.

Meghan Gallacher of the Scottish Conservatives said: ‘John Swinney’s pathetic, grovelling apology has come far too late and will cut little ice with Jordan Linden’s victims, who were gaslit by the SNP in a desperate effort to protect the party’s reputations.

‘The victims of this predator and the Scottish public will find it hard to believe that ‘Honest John’ knew nothing about this scandal until it came into the public domain, when there were such frantic efforts in SNP circles to cover it up.

‘It’s vital that Swinney’s supposedly independent review of SNP complaints procedures and safeguarding has the trust of Linden’s victims.’

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie called for Swinney to ‘come clean’ about who in the SNP was responsible for the Linden ‘cover-up’

She said: ‘If he continues to refuse to do this there is only one conclusion to draw – John Swinney is not on the side of the victims of Jordan Linden’s sexual abuse, he is on the side of those who covered up for the abuser.’

The party was first alerted to the predator’s behaviour in 2017 by a concerned young SNP member and former member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, who had seen Linden’s predatory behaviour first-hand.

The man, who showed the Mail on Sunday his emails to the SNP, told the party nearly a decade ago that he was ‘concerned that Jordan Linden is not fit to represent the SNP as a political organisation.’

He explained what had happened within the SYP and said: ‘I hope you do look into these details and question Jordan Linden on his previous conduct.’

In August 2022, when details of a Linden attacking a young SNP member in Dundee in 2019 were made public, the man once again contacted the SNP to raise the alarm.

He wrote: ‘Given the various reports…in particular the 2019 incident…I believe it would be the best course of action to re-examine Linden’s status within the party. Specifically the recent allegation that Linden sexually assaulted an individual…should be enough to look at this case again’.

His pleas were completely ignored and Linden remained an SNP member until resigning of his own accord in 2023.

Asked about the warning emails, Mr Swinney simply said he had ‘no knowledge of this until it came into the public domain.’

A whistleblower councillor, who alleged he was assaulted and harassed by Linden at North Lanarkshire Council, said the SNP were ‘complicit’ in the cover-up of Linden’s crimes.

Cameron McManus, who reported Linden to the police in 2023, said: ‘The SNP are complicit in this. They were warned, not only by me, but others, about Linden and they did nothing.

‘Their announcement of a review into their processes is an utter nonsense, because they did the same thing years ago and the outcome has never been made public.

‘They have to make clear what the outcome was, and why what they are doing now is different.

‘This is an attempt to ignore questions about Jordan before the election. It is completely unacceptable.’