NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted the attempted rape and sexual assault charges against Alex Salmond will not damage the case for independence.

The First Minister said the movement was “bigger than any one man” as she suggested she will set out a timetable for a future referendum by March 29, when the UK is due to leave the European Union.

She said: “I don’t think it has an impact on the future political and constitutional direction of Scotland.

“The case for independence is bigger than any one man – it’s bigger than any one woman.

“It’s not about individual personalities, it’s about what is best for the country now and in the longer term.

“It’s about how we put ourselves in the best position to protect our interests and build prosperity and fairness in Scotland.”

Ms Sturgeon said Brexit had “strengthened” the case for independence “immeasurably”.

She was asked about the issue on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, where she described last week’s developments as a “shock”.

Mr Salmond faced a total of 14 charges when he appeared on petition at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

The ex-SNP leader was charged with two counts of attempted rape, nine counts of sexual assault, two of indecent assault and one breach of the peace. He strenuously denies the allegations.

Ms Sturgeon said: "The developments of last week were a shock to everyone, and there's absolutely no denying that.

“But because charges were brought last week these are now live criminal proceedings subject to the Contempt of Court Act.

"So there's not anything that would be appropriate for me, or anyone else for that matter, to say at this time.”

The First Minister refused to reveal whether she had been contacted by police, insisting: "I will not comment on any aspect of the police investigation.

“That's not a matter of choice, necessarily – that is the obligations I, like everybody else, are under to respect due process. It would not be appropriate for me to do so.”

Ms Sturgeon was repeatedly pressed on when she will announce her plans for a second independence referendum.

She suggesting her deadline is March 29, when the UK is due to leave the EU.

She told the BBC: "I said, once we know which direction this is going in, and I hope that would be over the next few weeks – it has to be over the next few weeks – I will set out my views at that time on the best timing for another independence referendum."

She added: “Within that timeframe of when the UK is leaving, so if the UK is leaving at the end of March – we don’t yet know whether that will be the case, we don’t know whether it will be with a deal or without a deal – but within that timeframe, yes, I think I’ve been pretty clear, that’s when I would intend to set out my views on the way forward for Scotland.”

But Ms Sturgeon did not confirm whether this would remain the case if Brexit was reversed or pushed back.

She added: "I'm not going to get taken too far down the road of hypotheticals here.

“I want to see the UK, if possible, stay within the EU because, even if Scotland becomes independent, it's in our best interest that the rest of the UK has a close constructive relationship with the EU, preferably that it remains a member of the EU.

"That's why I've tried hard to be part of finding solutions for the whole UK.

"But I don't want Scotland to be dragged out of the EU with all of the damaging consequences of that against our will."

Interim Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw called her performance “evasive”.

He added: "Only one thing was clear from Nicola Sturgeon's evasive performance this morning.

"No matter what happens within her own party or elsewhere, she won't stop banging on and on about her campaign for another independence referendum. That is her only priority.

"With Sturgeon once again talking up a pact with Labour, it's also clear that only the Scottish Conservatives can be trusted to stand in her way."

Addressing the media outside court on Thursday, Mr Salmond stressed he is “innocent of any criminality whatsoever”.

He said live criminal proceedings meant he was limited in what he could say, adding: “And therefore the only thing I can say is that I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I’ll defend myself to the utmost in court.

"I've got great faith in the court system of Scotland. I've got recent cause to have great faith in the court system of Scotland. That is where I'll state my case."

It came after he won a legal battle against the Scottish Government over its handling of sexual harassment allegations against him earlier this month.

Ministers admitted a Government probe was unlawful, unfair and tainted by apparent bias.

A separate police investigation was launched after a referral from the Lord Advocate’s office in August.

Mr Salmond was Scotland's first minister for seven years.