The end of Nicola Sturgeon’s premiership was mired in controversy over her plans for trans rights, her botched gender reform bill and the rather disturbing revelation that trans rapist Isla Bryson had been housed in a women’s prison. And now it has emerged that Police Scotland even considered logging Bryson as female on the sex offenders’ register. Good heavens…
Bryson, who was jailed for raping two women while known as a man, changed gender while waiting to stand trial. In a rather shocking move, the rapist was subsequently sent to Scotland’s female-only Cornton Vale prison by the Scottish Prison Service while awaiting sentencing. The blunder came to light at the same time as Sturgeon was attempting to pass legislation to make it easier to allow people to legally change gender – and, after immense backlash, Bryson was moved to a male facility.
While Police Scotland insisted last week that rapists won’t be allowed to self-ID as women – with Chief Constable Jo Farrell remarking ‘you can only commit that crime as a man’ – a leaked document seen by Sky News suggests that hasn’t always been the force’s attitude.
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