Police probe was 'mental torture', says Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon has opened up about her arrest, describing how the police investigation was like “mental torture” and she thought about disappearing into the North Sea.

- LILY SHANAGHER

In an excerpt of her new memoir, Frankly, published by The Times, the former first minister of Scotland spoke about some of the hardest moments of her life, as well as conflicted feelings over motherhood and sexuality.

Being arrested and questioned by the police following the arrest of her ex-husband and the Scottish National Party (SNP) treasurer was the “worst day of my life”, she wrote.

Peter Murrell, the former chief executive officer of the SNP, was arrested in 2023 and later charged with embezzlement, after his and Ms Sturgeon’s home was searched by police looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations to the party.

Police also investigated Colin Beattie and Ms Sturgeon but they were later exonerated.

The arrests, Ms Sturgeon said, made her feel like she “had fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel”.