Edinburgh crime: Former SNP campaign manager Nathan Sparling took photos of half-naked friend while drunk court hears
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Nathan Sparling, 31, is claimed to have snapped around eight pictures of the unconscious man lying on a couch with his genitals exposed following a drinking session in Edinburgh city centre.Sparling - who was chief executive of HIV Scotland at the time - is said to have taken the illicit images on the man’s own phone after the man had “blacked out” at his flat in the city’s Leith area.The alleged victim, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, said he discovered the pictures of him sleeping on Sparling’s couch with his underwear pulled down after checking his phone the following morning.Sparling is an ex-campaign manager for the SNP’s former Westminster leader Angus Robertson and his work with the politician included research, communications and strategy with particular emphasis on social justice.He is also well-known for his drag queen act where he uses the name Nancy Clench when performing his risqué routine.Sparling denies the voyeurism allegation and stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday accused of recording an image of the man’s genitals at his capital home on September 30, 2019.The alleged victim, who is in his 30s, told the court he and Sparling met up in Edinburgh city centre and drunk beer before heading to a nearby wine bar where they shared two bottles of wine.The man said he had little memory of leaving the bar and that he “could not remember a single thing” about being in Sparling’s flat in the Leith area of the city later that night.The man said: “I had a blackout and can’t remember anything. I woke up in the morning and I was undressed from the waist down.“My shoes had been taken off and my pants had been rolled down and I was exposed.”The man said he then made his way to the toilet where he “sat for two minutes and looked at his phone”.He said he opened his photo roll and the first images he saw were of himself lying naked and unconscious in Sparling’s flat.He said: “My head was slumped to the side and I was unconscious. I was absolutely frightened as I was in a vulnerable state.“I was visible from head to toe and my genitals were exposed though I was not aroused.”The alleged victim told the court he had been left “mentally shocked and traumatised” by finding the “seven or eight” half-naked pictures and had instantly deleted them.The man told the court he had been left “confused” by the alleged incident and admitted he told no one or did anything about it at the time.The court heard the man subsequently informed the board of trustees at HIV Scotland of the alleged incident and then decided to report the matter to the police some months later.Sparling told the court he first met the man and his partner when they attended at one of his drag act shows.He said the man fell asleep in his flat and added he had “no recollection of taking any photos” when the pair returned to his home.Sparling said: “If I had taken any photos it would have been as a joke. But the only thing I did was put a blanket over him so he was warm while he slept.”Sheriff John Cook adjourned the summary trial hearing to next month due to the lack of court time.Sparling was chief executive of the HIV Scotland charity between December 2018 to December 2020 and currently works for a PR company.He also co-hosts an online political and current affairs podcast called A New Nation.
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