Dangerous sex offender transferred to women's prison, Peterborough

We are going to see woman's prisons full of male sex offenders and Paedophiles, either wanting an easy ride or to gain access to women.

The charity Women in Prison has zero mention of this issue, though it does mention 'gender specific services'

annandale The charity was mentioned last week in a tweet by TELI (Trans Equality Legal Initiave, co-founded by Jess Bradley, Tara Hewitt & Michelle Hudson etc). TELI Twitter was angered by guests on the Victoria Derbyshire Show discussing the sexual assault on female prisoners in light of White's long violent offending history against women and children.

from the thread I wrote:
"Interesting to note that as well as Press for Change, TELI tweet has signposted towards 'Women in Prisons' as an expert source along with themselves and Press for Change.

Its a long established charity:
"We support women to avoid and exit the criminal justice system and campaign for the radical changes needed to deliver support services and justice for women."

One would hope that a charity committed to would indeed be an important voice and hopefully one which would be at the forefront of advocating for those women in prisons who have been sexually attacked, 'intimidated' etc by male-born prisoners.
www.womeninprison.org.uk/about/who-we-are.php

List of Trustees some clear links to Garden Court Chambers and NUS (LSE/Goldsmiths)
www.womeninprison.org.uk/staff/trustees.php

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3361150-Dr-Nicola-Williams-on-BBC2-at-10-15-Victoria-Live?pg=3&messages=100

I haven't clicked on the link, I feel too angry.

Where was the risk assessment? Is that something that's available via a FOI request or somesuch? If there are young babies in the same building, why aren't social services and the NSPCC involved?

I've only recently begun to find my voice on this area (have NC for this thread as have posted personal details under other names). I begun to fill out the consultation paper yesterday. I stopped halfway through as I needed a break, but tbh I didn't feel empowered by filling it out, I felt despairing - that our laws don't need loosening or a status quo, they need rolling back on some issues.

Have started googling for expertise on female prisoners. The charity Women in Prison has zero mention of this issue, though it does mention 'gender specific services'. Considering whether to email them about their view on who women prisoners are, except that they are clearly a tiny charity - why should they get flak from me which might affect their ability to continue? Except that their specific purpose is to support women in prison. Which ones?

Francis Crook executive director of the Howard League for Penal Reform "said that she was worried that ‘some men with a history of extreme violence and sexual violence against women have found a new way of exercising aggression towards women’.

‘These men are not transitioning because they like women and want to be a woman, but in order to exert a new kind of control and dominance over women, a sort of infiltration."

source:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5798945/Trans-women-convicted-men-attack-vulnerable-inmates.html

Claude Knights (safeguarding expert recently retired after 15 years as head of Kidscape)
on sex offenders who transition and are afforded the opportunity to change their name and hide their history as a consequence & recent case of "Christopher Noble, 32, transitioned to Christyl Knight while behind bars for keeping a stash of over 4,000 vile pictures and videos of kids as young as six months old"

“Allowing these individuals to hide a secret past is a dangerous practice.”
“Anyone who’s fuelled the vile trade in indecent images of children and therefore contributed to their sexual abuse should not be allowed to change their name.”

[[www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/3006679/paedophile-jailed-transgender-christyl-knight-christopher-nobile/]]

from the article:
"Michelle Lewin, born Shaun Pudwell, changed gender while in prison for a grooming underage girls"

"The paedophile married Mark Lewin, taking his name, while in HMP Elmley in 2014"
He [Mark Lewin] was later jailed in 2015 for having indecent images of kids but has since been released"

So in short the offences against girls were committed whilst he was living as a man. Gender transition took place whilst in prison. Name change first through marriage (to someone convicted of indecent images of children) and then with GRC a new identity enshrined and she is protected.

25 current inmates in women's estates?
Surely they are over represented?

The women and children imprisoned there don’t have a voice to speak up about this themselves. We have to do it for them

I've long felt that women in prison need a lot more attention and support of some sort. I'm not naive about the fact that some female prisoners are not nice people but as a population they are so vulnerable. I don't believe they are adequately cared for or helped even without there being male prisoners in the female estate. This just seems to be the last indignity they have to endure.

''Just a small administrative change that won't affect women at all'' is shown to be a crock.

So the checks and balances are a lie. Men who get off on raping women are allowed to claim to be one.
The women and children imprisoned there don’t have a voice to speak up about this themselves. We have to do it for them.

I think the prisons say their guidance on trans women in prisons follows from a human rights case in this country.
Does anyone know how the Irish exclude trans women from the female estate even though they have self I’d?
I did do a bit of googling but couldn’t find much.
Yes to protests, but Peterborough is a bit far. How about outside the Ministry of Justice.

I’ve a great idea.

Why not let people change gender whenever they like, but base our laws and segregated facilities on sex?

I could cry.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse..

I'm not willing to protest outside the prison. Would the women in the prisonbe entitled to legal aid for a case for something like neglect against the risk assessment panel?

The only positives I can see in this horrorshow are that a. the media gloves seem to be well and truly off now and b. that will presumably make it harder for politicians to pretend not to know what they're endorsing. As long as we hold their feet to the fire.

Also this needs to be sent to the ‘paedophile watch’ groups like U.K. database

Or I have got a great idea Annandale, why don't we just believe whatever people say about their gender identity, not ask them any questions or have any monitoring or gatekeeping and just let them fill out a form or make a declaration in order for a male to be counted as a female for most purposes and access sex segregated spaces like female prisons! That will surely be the best thing to do!

*Things we need here:

• Protests
• More press/radio
• A fund for women who are (god forbid) attacked by men in prison, so they can take legal action or access therapy
• Meetings in the town with the relevant prisons*

100% agree with all of this

Article in the Mail now too.

This is absolutely horrendous. How is this happening?

Penny Mordaunt and Maria Miller find a lot of things too difficult, like defining women for example.

Well it certainly sounds like the GRC process is not fit for purpose.

Maybe it should have some kind of external moderation by a lay panel as well as the two doctors' opinions?

It's terribly invasive an expensive doncha know

Although most don't seem to bother with it but I guess it's useful if you're a nonce and want to serve your sentence around kids

How exactly does Penny Mordaunt and Maria Miller think the GRC application too difficult?

Love the protest suggestion.

Things we need here:

• Protests
• More press/radio
• A fund for women who are (god forbid) attacked by men in prison, so they can take legal action or access therapy
• Meetings in the town with the relevant prisons