The Scottish National Party (SNP) is being accused of a 'shocking' failure to deal with complaints of harassment and abuse within the party.
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It follows the conviction of a former party member for targeting MP Joanna Cherry with threats of sexual violence.
Grant Karte admitted posting online threats to Ms Cherry last month, after she was 'sacked' by the party leadership from its Westminster front bench.
Five messages were sent to her Twitter account by 30-year-old Karte, which included: 'You have 24 hours or I will f*** you like you f***** Scotland.'
The messages were sent on the day that Ms Cherry was 'sacked' from the party's Westminster front bench, amidst deep divisions within the SNP over proposed reform of the Gender Recognition Act.
Whilst not being against reform, Ms Cherry has been among vocal critics of people being able to self-identify.
Four days before she was removed from the front bench on 1 February, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon posted a video on Twitter saying she had heard reports of 'mainly young people in significant numbers leaving the SNP' because they didn't consider it a safe, tolerant place for trans people.
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She acknowledged the differences of opinion, but said the debate should not be used as 'cover for transphobia.'
Following the conviction of Karte at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Ms Cherry blamed 'senior politicians' for making her a target and accused SNP officials of enabling abuse by failing to address complaints.
The SNP MP for Edinburgh South West said: 'I believe that the untrue allegations of transphobia made against me, some of which were repeated by senior politicians who ought to know better, put a target on my back.
'Women must be allowed to discuss women's rights, and to acknowledge that sex matters, without being labelled bigots or abused and threatened.
'At the time of the offence, Mr Karte was a member of a branch of the SNP where there have been a significant number of complaints about abuse of women by younger men.
'Had these complaints of abuse, and the targeting of me and other women on social media been addressed, it is likely that this behaviour would not have escalated to the scale of threats of sexual violence.'
Sources within SNP headquarters say that Karte's membership of its Bannockburn branch ended in April 2020, but that has puzzled branch members.
They have told Sky News they were only told of his removal from their membership list on 4 February 2021, three days after the online threats were made against Ms Cherry.
He appears to have responded to an invitation to a branch Zoom call on 2 February, the day after he sent the online threats, and it's understood that Zoom invitations are routed through membership lists in party headquarters.
Local party officials say their concerns about offensive online content within the SNP don't stop at the case of Karte.
In common with Ms Cherry, officials in the Bannockburn branch have complained to party managers about what they say is persistent abusive behaviour online - but that their concerns have been ignored.
In June 2020, they made a formal complaint of 'serious false allegations' made online about the branch and its officials by an SNP party member.
It was only on 18 February this year that the branch received an acknowledgement of complaint from the office of the party's national secretary and, to their mind, it remains unresolved.
A source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: 'I find it quite shocking. I am appalled that they think they can treat people like that and it beggars belief that they think professional women will sit back and take that.
'If it had happened in a working environment, it would be dealt with. Why has there been no call-out, no support ever shown?'
Sky News asked the SNP if it was guilty of a corporate failure in neglecting to deal with multiple complaints about inappropriate social media posts by party members.
Sources within SNP headquarters have responded by saying the party was aware of concerns being raised about the online views of a particular individual.
They say that he, himself, claimed he had been the target of online abuse and that fellow party members had expressed transphobic views.
The SNP sources say that, while it was clear members had different views, it did not see any concrete evidence of transphobia.
Separately, the SNP's chief whip at Westminster has stood down after a formal complaint about a sexual harassment allegation was made against him.
Patrick Grady has voluntarily but temporarily stepped aside after a number of sexual harassment allegations emerged against him.
The SNP is facing fresh claims that senior party figures conspired against its former leader Alex Salmond.
One of its own MPs has told Sky News that high-ranking members of the party shared dozens of messages about the former first minister in a social media group chat, calling themselves the 'Vietnam' group.
In text exchanges before last year's criminal trial of Mr Salmond, which resulted in his acquittal, it's claimed they discussed the reluctance of an alleged victim to give evidence and efforts they could take to give her encouragement.
The new claims are made by Kenny MacAskill, the SNP MP for East Lothian and Scotland's former justice secretary.
He has told Sky News that content of the digital communications has long been a subject of open discussion within SNP circles, and he has backed calls for Scotland's Crown Office to release the text messages as written proof.
Of the unpublished messages, Mr MacAskill told Sky News: 'There has been long-standing talk in SNP circles about WhatsApp and text messages and I've been in correspondence with the Crown (office) about it. There's a WhatsApp group that was called the 'Vietnam' group that included SNP staffers and even members of government.'
Referring to the trial of Alex Salmond, who was cleared of the sexual assault charges, Mr MacAskill said: 'There is one text message between two senior members of staff seeking to put pressure on one of the alleged victims who was expressing reluctance about proceeding and they discussed ways of getting her 'back in the game'.
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'There's a lot to come out, and I think it's important for everyone that we should have clarity. This is nothing to do with the witnesses and the alleged victims, it is everything to do with internal SNP machinations.'
Sky News has been told that those included in the 'Vietnam' group are close colleagues of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, but that she wasn't a member.
A group chat is a facility on social media that allows a number of individuals to create a digital discussion forum.
The 'Vietnam' moniker stemmed from Operation Diem, the name of the police investigation into Mr Salmond.
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Mr MacAskill said: 'It apparently came about because the police operation against Alex Salmond was termed Diem, which is obviously the Latin for 'day'. Someone seems to have misunderstood Diem as a reference to a former president of Vietnam.'
Records of digital communications are now being sought by the Scottish parliamentary inquiry looking into the government's handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. Download github software for mac.
Its investigating committee has demanded that the Crown Office release records of text messages, among other documents, and has taken the unprecedented step of using legal powers under the Scotland Act to do so.
Committee members have asked for text or WhatsApp communications between Susan Ruddick - the chief operating officer of the Scottish National Party - and members of the Scottish government, its civil servants and special advisers from August 2018 to January 2019.
Kenny MacAskill has previously obtained two messages sent by Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive and husband of Ms Sturgeon, in which Mr Murrell allegedly encouraged a prosecution of Mr Salmond. He admitted sending the communications before a parliamentary inquiry.
Both of those were sent to Ms Ruddick on the day after Mr Salmond's first criminal court appearance in January 2019.
The first one read: 'Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions.. report now with the PF on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs. So good time to be pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London.'
The second message, which appears to refer to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in London, read: 'TBH the more fronts he is having to firefight on the better for all complainers. So CPS action would be a good thing.'
The Metropolitan Police in London received one complaint in connection with the Alex Salmond investigation in January 2019 but dropped its enquiries after contacting the complainant as part of a case review.
Mr Murrell addressed the communications in a written submission to the harassment inquiry, stating: 'The messages have been presented in a way that suggests a meaning that they do not in reality have.'
'My intention was to advise that their questions should be addressed to the Police and not the SNP.'
In his oral evidence to the inquiry, Mr Murrell was asked if there were any more text messages to any other party official on the same subject. Under oath, he replied: 'No. Not that I'm aware of.'
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Ms Sturgeon was asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme if it was true there were no other text messages of 'that nature'.
Ms Sturgeon replied: 'There are no messages that are relevant to this committee.'
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A spokesperson for the Crown Office told Sky News 'COPFS has received correspondence from the committee requesting material and will respond in early course,' adding that it 'must consider whether producing documents sought would be contrary to the public interest'.
Sky News has contacted the SNP and its chief executive, Mr Murrell, to ask for comment.