The transgender prisoner who sexually assaulted two women while in an all-female prison has been moved to a prison for men and sentenced to life.
The man, known as Karen White, had been on remand for stabbing a woman in August last year. He was placed in a women’s jail because he had told prison authorities he ‘identified as a woman’.
He was only moved to a men’s prison in March this year when charged with a 2016 rape. He was later charged with the sexual assaults he committed during his time in the all-female prison, and pleaded guilty to both in August.
‘Predator’
Prosecutor Christopher Dunn said White was only “allegedly a transgender female” who had used a “transgender persona” in order to be placed in a female prison so that he could abuse vulnerable women.
Judge Christopher Batty handed down a life sentence, of which White must serve a minimum of nine-and-a-half years.
He told White: “You are a predator and highly manipulative and in my view you are a danger. You represent a significant risk of serious harm to children, to women and to the general public.”
Mistakes made
The prison service has apologised for the mistakes which had been made in allowing the man, who had previously been convicted of a sex attack on a child, to be assigned to an all-female jail.
A spokesman said: “While we work to manage all prisoners, including those who are transgender, sensitively and in line with the law, we are clear that the safety of all prisoners must be our absolute priority.”