This kind of case is exactly why the gatekeeping, psychiatric analysis and time needed before you can just do what you want is vital . All the things that would be dropped IF self ID into legal identity on birth certificates were allowed.
No way should this MAN ever be allowed to legally state they are a woman. Any system that facilitates that is clearly absurd.
It cannot be and never should be right and only politicians who do not deserve to win the next election think it should. You have to protect society from the worst not make that a consequence of pandering to any idea because it is trendy.
Quite obviously allowing prisoners with any kind of history of such crimes or sexual offences should automatically be excluded from ever legally changing status. They are doing it in most cases to gain access to women or to try to play the system or to dodge something It has to be legally forbidden now.
This applies even if they really have gender dysphoria (which I suspect is almost never true as it is actually very rare - not that you would believe it from the media these days).
The rules for this kind of thing need tightening, not removing. And they should start with making it clear convicted prisoners do not get to legally mess society about and play games with their identity.
They get punished, lose liberties and pay for the horrible things they have done. Funding surgery and considering swapping prisons is not part of that and never should be.
If any trans activists reading this want to call me transphobic - go ahead. But be aware I am saying this as one of the very few 4910 people in the UK who actually has a Gender Recognition Certificate.
I have never been in trouble with the law and was perfectly willing to go through years of assessment. But knew if I did get in trouble I would struggle horribly by not being defined as female. This is something we should not be waving away to please evil people.
The assessment is a reasonable thing to be willing to do in order to expect society to regard you differently even if you have never had a parking ticket.
Just saying you are now Martha not Arthur is nowhere near enough because it makes it possible for people to equivocate clearly despicable men like this as being just like you. And opens the door to crooks, chancers and perverts.
Do you really want that?
Instead of telling women and transsexuals who say these things that we are denying your rights to self declare - stop being selfish, see the bigger picture and accept the need for caution, safeguards and proper assessment.
This is not all about you.