Ian Blackford 'sorry' over Patrick Grady sex pest case as he issues apology to victim

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Ian Blackford has issued an apology saying he "deeply regrets" a party worker being sexual harassed by an SNP MP. The SNP Westminster leader has faced calls to resign after an audio recording revealed he urged Nationalist MPs to rally around Patrick Grady who was found guilty by Commons authorities.

Grady, MP for Glasgow North, made an “unwanted sexual advance” towards a staff member, then aged 19, in 2016.In the audio clip Blackford could be heard saying Grady “is going to face a number of challenges over the short term and so he should have our absolute full support”.In a statement released today Blackford said "staff must have full confidence that the group takes complaints seriously".It comes after opposition parties and SNP MP Joanna Cherry hit out at the party over how it handles claims of sexual misconduct.Grady was suspended from the Commons for two days last week and made a public apology after a complaint of sexual harassment by a young SNP staffer was upheld.

Blackford said: "As SNP Westminster leader, I have a duty of care to all of our staff. That is why I deeply regret that a member of staff was subject to inappropriate behaviour. "It was completely unacceptable and should never have happened.

I am sorry that it did."Staff must have full confidence that the group takes complaints seriously. In this case, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme investigated what happened.