A CALL in an English newspaper for the beheading of Nicola Sturgeon because she triggered the process for a second independence referendum has sparked anger and disbelief in Scotland.

There were so many complaints from Scots about the headline “Nicola Sturgeon is a liar and a traitor – off with her head!” in yesterday’s Telegraph, it later changed it to “Nicola Sturgeon – another treacherous queen of Scots – has miscalculated”.

The controversial headline highlighting columnist Allison Pearson’s piece about the First Minister’s announcement triggered a social media frenzy with people expressing their outrage at what they say amounts to “incitement”, especially in the wake of the political murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in June 2016.

In her column, Pearson takes a swipe at Sturgeon’s appearance, comparing her to “The love-child of a Bay City Roller and a Shetland Pony”.

Although Pearson may not have written the headline, she is not shy about making her views on Sturgeon known. In one tweet she wrote: “I suspect more Scots will vote Stay this time round and Sturgeon has signed her own death warrant. #indyref2”.

Police Scotland is currently investigating a “catalogue of horrific abuse” against the First Minister, including death threats and threats of violence.