Former SNP MP Natalie McGarry at Glasgow Sheriff Court where she was jailed for 18 months

A former SNP MP who embezzled thousands of pounds from pro-independence groups has been jailed for 18 months.

Natalie McGarry, 37, wept in the dock as her lawyer revealed she suffered a 'devastating' miscarriage earlier this week while six weeks pregnant.

McGarry admitted embezzling more than £25,600 - including donations intended for a foodbank. She spent it on rent and a holiday to Spain with her husband, Glasgow Sheriff Court was told.

The former politician pleaded guilty to two charges of embezzlement when she appeared at the court on April 24.

Her attempt to withdraw the guilty pleas at a later hearing was refused by Sheriff Paul Crozier and she was today jailed for 18 months.

Allan Macleod, representing McGarry, said she continues to maintain she is innocent of the charges.

He said she has had mental health issues over the years, including depression and anxiety and also suffered from post-partum depression following the birth of her daughter in November 2017.

McGarry (centre) with First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon (second left) at a campaign launch in February 2015

McGarry sobbed in the dock as her lawyer told the court that earlier this week she suffered a 'devastating' miscarriage while six weeks pregnant.

Mr Macleod said: 'She describes her life as almost intolerable.

'Two weeks ago she considered that life could not get any worse, and then it did.

'She was pregnant and miscarried, that happened on Sunday and that is something that for her has been absolutely devastating.

'She is at the lowest point in her life she has ever been. Her career is ruined, her reputation is in tatters, she has lost friends, colleagues, her reputation and job, and now her child.'

Mr Macleod said the family's finances are in a 'perilous' state and McGarry's main concern is for her daughter, who is 18 months old. He said her husband has two jobs, one at unsociable hours, to support them.

McGarry (pictured outside court) had attempted to withdraw the guilty pleas but she was today jailed by the sheriff for 18 months

McGarry was elected as an SNP member in 2015 but resigned the party whip following the emergence of fraud allegations - which she denied at the time - continuing in Parliament as an independent.

She was charged by police in 2017 over fraud relating to potential missing funds from Women for Independence, which was set up in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish referendum, and the SNP's Glasgow Regional Association.

McGarry, who represented Glasgow East, did not seek re-election in 2017.