Finally got a response from the BBC - as expected they have relied on GMP press release and court reporting plus the defendants preferred terms.
Thank you for getting in touch about our coverage of the sentencing of Naomi O'Brien, described by a Greater Manchester Police detective inspector as ‘a predatory woman’. We reported: “The 31-year-old was convicted of five offences and jailed for four years and three months at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.”
Some readers objected to us describing her as a woman, maintaining she was transgender and had previously been a man.
Our reporting was based on the court proceedings and a press release issued by Greater Manchester Police in which they describe Naomi O’Brien as a female. We checked with them and they told us that “she identifies as a woman”. They used female pronouns and we reported accordingly.
BBC News editorial practice is to refer to trans people as they refer to themselves. In our reporting we use the term and pronoun used by the person in question, as we did here. Greater Manchester police followed the same style.
We are sorry if you did not appreciate the way we covered this particular case but would like to thank you again for contacting us to make your views known. All feedback from readers is appreciated and shared with senior editors so that they are aware of audience concerns.