Convicted transgender rapist receives sentence in Scotland

BBC News

A transgender individual named Isla Bryson has been imprisoned for eight years after being convicted of sexually assaulting two women while still identifying as male.

Bryson received the sentence, as well as an additional three years on licence, at the High Court in Edinburgh. Following the verdict, images surfaced of the convicted rapist wearing a blonde wig and a pink hoodie while hiding inside a prison van. The judge in the case reportedly rebuked Bryson, who viewed themselves as the victim, by stating, “You see yourself as the victim in this case. You are not.”

The case has raised questions about the legal system's handling of transgender offenders, as well as the issue of how gender is handled in criminal proceedings.

“It is plain that you present a particularly significant risk to any woman with whom you form a relationship,” said Judge Lord Scott, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Nicola Sturgeon wants to pretend this is complex when really, it’s simply about valuing women’s safety.

A double rapist, after being charged, decided to become a woman and was sent to a woman's prison.

A rapist being given access to a women’s single-sex space is a threat. pic.twitter.com/Hg0WHevV3w

— Douglas Ross MP MSP (@Douglas4Moray) January 26, 2023

Last month, the 31-year-old was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents. The first attack occurred in Clydebank in 2016, while the second took place in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019. At the time of the crimes, the offender still identified as a man named Adam Graham.

Prosecutors alleged that Bryson targeted vulnerable women through online platforms. During the trial, it was revealed that he had undergone a gender transition while awaiting trial, adopting the name Isla Bryson.

Activists gathered outside a parole office in Toronto to demonstrate against ongoing shameful practice of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) allowing biological male inmates to do their prison sentences at female prisons.

FULL REPORT by @TheMenzoid: https://t.co/n3xLB6quTf pic.twitter.com/oXxYJ3ANMB

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) November 4, 2022

Public outcry surrounded the case of Bryson, particularly regarding the decision to initially place the convicted rapist in a women's prison. The move was met with fierce criticism, with many arguing that it posed a risk to the safety of other inmates.

After facing backlash, authorities subsequently transferred Bryson to a male facility. Nevertheless, the incident has raised significant concerns about the appropriate handling of transgender individuals within the prison system and has prompted calls for reforms to ensure the safety and wellbeing of female inmates.