I sort-of see the point made by the ombudsman - even if it's entirely true that some transIDing men use that to get access to vulnerable children, that's not what happened in the case in question, and I can see that bringing transwomen into the article was a bit arbitrary.
But where the ombudsman - I see they are using -person now - gets it wrong I think is to think that a male is any less likely to be a sexual predator just because he has a protected characteristic .
The Press Ombudsperson finds that this inevitably creates a doubt that is likely to colour the mind of a reader encountering any or all trans persons whose assigned sex at birth was male. It is suggested that it would be naïve and irresponsible not to consider that such a person might be a sexual predator. The article offers no evidence to justify instilling this doubt.
It would indeed be naïve and irresponsible not to consider that such a person might be a sexual predator, because male people commit the majority of sexual predation.
I can see that people have an issue at the suggestion that transID-ing men are more likely than other men to be sexual predators, which is why I sort-of 'get' the ruling.
But there's nothing wrong with considering trans-IDing men just as likely as other men to commit sexual offences.
There is an argument to be made that some men identify as women in order to get access to children - the case a few months back of the TW worker who tried to kiss little kids raised red flags for everybody concerned.
There is an argument to be made that in the UK transIDing males appear to be more likely to commit sexual offences, not even 'just as likely' as other men.
An analysis of UK crime figures calculated that
1 in 2,205 men commit and are convicted of a sexual offence.
1 in 626 transwomen commit and are convicted of a sexual offence.
compared to men, transwomen are 252% more likely to commit and be convicted of a sexual offence.
What actually is the risk posed by men who want to be women? | Women's Rights Network | UK
In March 2026, there were around 83,881 men in prison in the UK
UK Prison Statistics 2026: Key Data & Trends | Novus
15,897 were convicted of sexual offences.
That's about 19% of the male prison population.
A statement in the UK Parliament stated that
23 December 2024
Of the 245 transgender prisoners who reported their legal gender as male (i.e. those who now identify as women, non-binary or gender-fluid) on 31 March 2024, 151 were convicted of a sexual offence. This includes both contact and non-contact sexual offences. Offence data was not available for 1 individual.
Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
That's about 62% of the trans-IDng male prison population in 2024, I couldn't find more recent figures.
Those are just my own rough calculations, I'm sure more expert, and numerate! people than me have published more reliable and completely up-to-date figures.
The point is, not only may it not be 'naïve and irresponsible not to consider that such a person might be a sexual predator,' the statistics appear to show that a man who IDs as a woman is statistically more likely to commit a sexual offence than a man who does not ID as a woman.
Which is not saying all transwomen are sexual predators, that would be wrong, and I can see that it is unacceptable to suggest that.
But there's nothing wrong with saying that there is good evidence that transwomen commit sexual offences not just as often as other men, but statistically more often than other men.
I think the Ombudsperson should be challenged on that general point.
Also 'assigned male at birth' is, like, soooooo 2020!🙄