Trans rapist in women’s jail ‘is not committed to being female’
A TRANSGENDER rapist was jailed for life yesterday after sexually assaulting two inmates in a women’s jail.
Paedophile Karen White, 52, will serve the sentence in a men’s prison.
It is believed she pretended to want to be a woman so she could get into the female jail and commit the crimes. Leeds Crown Court was told White’s ‘approach to transition has been less than committed’.
White, who was previously david thompson, was described by the judge as ‘predatory and highly manipulative’. she had been sent on remand at her request to the women’s jail after stabbing a neighbour – despite not starting a gender reassignment process.
she wore women’s clothing, make-up and a wig, but sexually assaulted at least two inmates. White was then transferred to a men’s prison to await trial and police investigating her background discovered she had raped two women in the past.
she had also been jailed for ten years for gross indecency with two children. Chris dunn, prosecuting, yesterday told the court White ‘is allegedly a transgender female’.
He said: ‘the prosecution say alleged because there are smatterings of evidence in this case that the defendant’s approach to transition has been less than committed.’
Mr dunn said ‘the lack of commitment towards transition is so the defendant can use the transgender persona to put herself in contact with vulnerable persons to abuse.’
Last night a source said White was currently inside a male jail and that was where she will serve her sentence.
White appeared before the court via a video-link from Leeds Prison and the question regarding her gender appears to be unresolved. she was dressed in a shoulder-length blonde wig and patterned blouse.
the court heard White was living in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, in August last year when she was arrested for stabbing neighbour edward Jinks, 66, in the stomach and arm with a steak knife.
White, who was living as a woman at least some of the time, was sent to new Hall female prison in Wakefield to await trial. the local transgender case board failed to take into account her previous convictions involving children when approving the move.
she committed the first sex assault within a month of arriving in jail. Mr dunn said White assaulted an inmate and exposed herself as they stood in a queue. A second woman was assaulted soon afterwards when White put her hand on her padded bra and said: ‘Oh look – they are not real ones.’
two further alleged sexual assaults at the jail were denied by White and left to lie on the file.
White was then transferred to a men’s prison and police investigating her identified two rape victims. the first was a woman she met at a psychiatric hospital in 2016. the second was the wife of a friend. White raped her in 2003. Judge Christopher Batty heard the attacks led to attempted suicide in both cases.
White admitted wounding, raping two women and two sexual assaults. she was given a life sentence and must serve a minimum of eight years and 116 days before being considered for parole.
sentencing, the judge told White: ‘You are predatory and highly manipulative and in my view you are dangerous.’
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said last night: ‘We apologise sincerely for the mistakes which were made in this case’. the MoJ would not comment on whether White would now undergo gender reassignment treatment in prison.