Nicola was treated appallingly by the police over fraud probe insists close friend and crime writer Val McDermid
The long-time friend of the former first minister took aim at police as extracts of Ms Sturgeon's upcoming memoirs revealed the 'mental torture' she said she endured during the probe into the SNP 's finances.
In the first extract of the book published by the Times, Ms Sturgeon describes how she felt like she had 'fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel' and was gripped by despair when she was arrested in connection with the investigation.
Although she was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, Ms Sturgeon also said the experience of her husband Mr Murrell being rearrested and charged was like a nightmare without end.
Giving her own take on the two year police investigation into her friend, Ms McDermid said: 'She's been treated appallingly by Police Scotland - and by the media, outside Scotland and inside.'
Ms McDermid, who has been friends for the last decade with Ms Sturgeon, has also jumped to her friend's defence over the way she feels the ex SNP leader has been treated and has claimed mysogyny is at the root of the problem.
She told the Daily Telegraph: 'I've seen some of the stuff she gets poured on her head and it's horrible. You would not say that to your wife or your sister – but to say it to a complete stranger seems to be acceptablae.
'It is misogynistic. Any woman in Scottish politics will tell you the same thing. I have friends who have left politics because of it. I have friends who grit their teeth and go into work every day and put up with it. It is not just Nicola who is the victim of this.'
However, the impending publication of Ms Sturgeon's autobiography - Frankly - has already drawn the ire of one of Ms Sturgeon's female detractors - former SNP MP Joanna Cherry.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Ms Cherry suggested that she does not expect the former first minister to answer questions that many Scots would want her to.
For instance, she said many women as well as lesbian, gay and bisexual people 'will want to know why she was happy to throw our rights under the bus in the name of identity politics'.
In concluding her opinion piece, she had added: 'I very much doubt the answers to any of these questions will be in Nicola Sturgeon's autobiography.'
Ms McDermid and Ms Sturgeon have been friends ever since the crime writer was interviewed by the former first minister at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Ms McDermid invited Ms Sturgeon and her then husband Peter Murrell to dinner first 'to break the ice' she said, and the evening went to so well the guests stayed until after midnight.
In January, The Mail revealed Ms Sturgeon had been spending time at a luxury £320,000 flat owned by McDermid and her wife.
The former First Minister was spotted leaving the property in Edinburgh's upmarket New Town as her relationship with her husband broke down.
That same month, Ms Sturgeon revealed she and Mr Murrell had separated, stating: 'To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.'
In the interview, Ms McDermid also shot down speculation that she failed to publish a new novel last year because she was too busy writing Ms Sturgeon's soon to be published memoir, Frankly, to focus on her own work.
She said: 'I did not help with it. She did it herself. Truly.'
The 70-year-old author instead said the reason she didn't publish a book last year was because she was having back surgery to treat spinal stenosis, which causes intense back pain.
Operation Branchform was launched in July 2021 to look into how more than £600,000 of crowdfunding was used by the party - and became one of the longest-running fraud investigations in Police Scotland's history.
Former party chief executive Peter Murrell, his wife and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon along with ex-SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were all investigated by detectives as part of the four-year probe.
In March it emerged Ms Sturgeon and Mr Beattie would not face charges over the investigation. Mr Murrell appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court that same month charged with embezzlement and was bailed after making no plea.
He is now rarely seen in public, while Ms Sturgeon has focused on writing her memoir and book reviews.
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