Sean Morton

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Sean Morton (born c. 1982) is a Scottish former politician who served as a Labour councillor for Fochabers Lhanbryde in Moray from 2012 to 2017. [1] He was the Labour candidate for Moray in the 2015 United Kingdom general election. He was convicted in 2018 of possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography, and received a community payback order. [1] He was convicted again in 2025 for further similar offences and breaching a sexual offences prevention order, resulting in a 16-month prison sentence. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Sean Morton was born around 1982. [1] He attended Milne's High School in Fochabers, where he met future Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy. He studied international politics and modern languages at the University of Stirling. [3] After university, he worked as a parliamentary researcher. [3]

Political career

Morton was elected as a Labour councillor for the Fochabers Lhanbryde ward in Moray Council in 2012. [4] In the 2015 UK general election, he stood as the Labour candidate for Moray but was unsuccessful. [5]

In December 2016, Morton was charged with offences related to indecent images of children, leading to his suspension from the Labour Party in January 2017. [4] He resigned from the party and ran as an independent candidate in the May 2017 local elections but was not re-elected. During his independent campaign, he received support from Labour figures including Matthew Doyle (later Lord Doyle) and Pam Duncan-Glancy. [6]

Sex Offender

Morton first appeared in court on 24 December 2016 at Elgin Sheriff Court, charged under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 in connection with indecent images of children. [4] The offences dated back to 2013. In November 2017, he admitted to possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography. [7] On 20 February 2018, he was sentenced to a community payback order requiring 140 hours of unpaid work, a three-year supervision order, and placement on the sex offenders register. [1]

In 2024, Morton breached his sexual offences prevention order. He was also found to possess further indecent photographs of children. In January 2025, at Glasgow Sheriff Court, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with the sentence backdated to May 2024. [2] [3]

The disclosures about Morton's convictions, along with his ongoing ties to Doyle and Duncan-Glancy, led to both of them being suspended by the party in February 2026. [6] [8] [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Former Moray councillor Sean Morton sentenced for child images". BBC News . 20 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Sean Morton, disgraced former Moray councillor, reportedly spent 16 months behind bars over further child pornography offences". Forres Gazette. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Disgraced former Moray politician Sean Morton's three-decade friendship with Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy revealed". Grampian Online. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Indecent child images charge councillor Sean Morton suspended by Labour". BBC News . 11 January 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Moray — Election result for Moray (Constituency) – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. UK Parliament . Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Ex-Labour comms chief Lord Doyle suspended over links to sex offender". BBC News . Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Former Labour councillor Sean Morton admits indecent image charges". BBC News . 28 November 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  8. ↑ "Scottish Labour suspends MSP Pam Duncan Glancy". BBC News . Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  9. ↑ McCurdy, Rebecca (15 January 2026). "Duncan-Glancy told to resign immediately over sex offender friendship". The Herald . Retrieved 10 February 2026.
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