In one instance, the male MSP sent explicit images of his private parts to a young man who worked at the building. The staff member reported the incident to the HR department but as far as he is aware, no action was taken.
The alleged victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, described the pictures as “worse than creepy,” and “obscene”. He told the Daily Record: “He was targeting people in the building. There was a faceless profile lurking on gay staff members’ Grindr profiles, it ended up being him.
“He was operating in a close radius, which was revealed in the app. I was amazed he started off anonymous then very quickly be so open and reveal his face at the same time he sent naked, extreme pornographic stuff.
“I wasn’t aware of him even being spoken to. I felt it was brushed under the carpet.”
The complaint was made in 2018 when the worker received a “ping” from an unknown profile. He said the MSP mentioned him by name even though his profile “only had my initials”.
He added: “I had an initial conversation and knew it was someone nearby. He would have known how close people he was contacting were, within a few yards. The next thing a picture came through. The images are burned on my brain.
“He was in an aroused state and naked. I could see his face. Some were worse. He went from zero to 10 with graphic content in just a few messages.”
The former parliamentary assistant claimed others had received similar content from the MSP. After discussing it with his employer, the man decided not to make a formal complaint as the MSP “had children,” and he “didn’t want them to be put through that”.
However, he did discuss the issue with HR, who said they would speak to the MSP’s business manager. The alleged victim said there was “no chance” party bosses did not know about his behaviour but, to his knowledge, the politician was never spoken to.
“I saw the photos. I couldn’t believe how brazen they were, proper X-rated and offensive. The lingering thoughts I had were about him getting off with it. He was a married man in a position of power very explicitly targeting younger men in junior positions. He should have been stopped in his tracks.”
It comes after Labour MSP Colin Smyth was charged with sex offences, including having indecent images of children. He has also been charged in connection with a hidden camera allegedly placed in a Holyrood toilet.