Parliament security pass deactivated as Smyth faces camera charges

Colin Smyth, a suspended Scottish Labour MSP, had his parliamentary security pass deactivated on Thursday after being charged amid allegations that a covert camera was placed in a toilet at the Scottish Parliament, officials said. The 52 year old South Scotland representative was arrested in Dumfries on 5 August when Police Scotland executed a warrant at a property on Marchfield Avenue. He has already been charged in connection with possession of indecent images and is due to appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date.

Police Scotland said officers carried out the search at the Dumfries address on 5 August and arrested a 52 year old man who was charged as part of an ongoing investigation. The force has not detailed the full scope of the allegations but reports in national media say an additional charge has been brought in relation to a camera allegedly placed in a parliamentary toilet. A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said a standard prosecution report had been received from Police Scotland.

Given the ongoing criminal inquiry, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body took the decision to deactivate Mr Smyth's Holyrood pass, a Scottish...