JK Rowling has launched an attack on Nicola Sturgeon, expressing outrage at the First Minister accusing critics of her transgender Bill of being misogynistic and homophobic and racist.

The Harry Potter author also raised concerns over another trans woman's placement in Cornton Vale.

Ms Rowling tweeted: “Delighted to announce that after a surprise visit to the real world, where she reluctantly admitted a hulking great rapist doesn’t become a woman by putting on a wig, our illustrious leader has made it safely home to You’re All Just Bigots territory”.

Her comments come in the wake of Ms Sturgeon’s announcement that the convicted rapist erstwhile known as Adam Graham - who while awaiting trial, began transitioning from a man to a woman to become Isla Bryson - was to be removed from women’s prison Cornton Vale following a public backlash.

Speaking to journalist Lewis Goodall on The News Agents podcast on Friday, the First Minister said “there are some people that I think have decided to use women’s rights as a sort of cloak of acceptability to cover up what is transphobia”.

She added: “But there are people who have opposed this bill that cloak themselves in women’s rights to make it acceptable, but just as they’re transphobic you’ll also find that they’re deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well.”

The comments led to Ms Rowling’s remarks yesterday, hours after the Edinburgh-based Ms Rowling said she was “deeply amused by those telling me I’ve lost their admiration due to the disrespect I show violent, duplicitous rapists. I shall file your lost admiration carefully in the box where I keep my missing f****.”

Mother-of-three Ms Rowling also tweeted her concerns over other trans prisoners, writing: “So in Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland, trans women AREN’T women if they’re convicted double rapists, like Adam ‘Isla Bryson’ Graham. However, trans women and paedophile Katie Dolatowski, who covertly filmed a 12-year-old and attempted to rape a 10-year-old, both offences committed in women’s public bathrooms, IS a woman and remains in the women’s prison from which Adam Graham is to be removed.”

She added: “Never forget, Sturgeon, her government and supporters have insisted that it is ludicrous to imagine anyone would dress in women’s clothes to get access to vulnerable women and girls. Wouldn’t happen. Everyone is who they say there are. To question this is hate."

She then quoted George Orwell’s 1984: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

In the podcast, Ms Sturgeon added that “the danger of any blanket approach is you end up having a different effect to the one you want, because you catch cases that should be dealt with in a different way”.

The First Minister said on Thursday that she agreed with the chief executive of Rape Crisis’ comments that a rapist should not be jailed in a women’s prison. She said “this prisoner is not going to be in Cornton Vale but it is important to allow the Scottish Prison Service operationally to give effect to the decisions taken.”