Sexual predator who adopted transgender persona to attack women inmates gets life
Convict with history of sex offending demanded to be known as ‘Karen’ to gain access to female prisoners
A “PREDATORY and highly manipulative” rapist and paedophile used a transgender persona to attack female prisoners, a court has heard, as she was jailed for life yesterday.
Karen White, 52, who was born a man, used the guise of wanting to change sex to convince the authorities to place her in a women’s prison, where she sexually assaulted two inmates.
White carried out the attacks at New Hall women’s prison in Wakefield, West Yorks, while being held on remand accused of a knife attack on a neighbour and raping two women.
Leeds Crown Court heard how she used her “transgender persona” to contact vulnerable women.
White, formerly known as Stephen Wood, then as David Thompson, had a history of sexual offending which stretched back to 1989, when she indecently exposed herself to a nine-yearold boy near a playground.
In 2001, she sexually assaulted and committed gross indecency on a 12-year-old boy in Leeds, and two years later raped a pregnant woman after spiking her drink.
She also committed multiple rapes of a 23-year-old woman before changing her gender and demanding to be known as Karen. But other than changing her name and wearing wigs and women’s clothing, White made no effort to embark on gender reassignment, the court was told.
Christopher Dunn, prosecuting, told the court: “She is allegedly a transgender female… allegedly because there are smatterings of evidence in this case that the defendant’s approach to transitioning has been less than committed.”
The prison service has since apologised over failings in the case.
If an inmate identifies as their nonlegally recognised gender, a local Transgender Case Board will meet to assess, but must take account of the previous offending history. However, that did not take place in this case.
Dressed in a blonde wig, wearing make-up and a floral blouse, White appeared via video link from HMP Armley, a male prison in Leeds and spoke in a deep voice to confirm her name.
Mr Dunn said that on Aug 15 last year, White attacked a 66-year-old neighbour, stabbing him several times. After being remanded, White began identifying as a woman and embarked on gender reassignment.
While on remand, White admitted to probation officers she was sexually interested in children and could abuse a child and “think nothing of it”.
She also began writing to a 23 year old woman she had violently raped in 2017 before she began transitioning. The victim then contacted police who began investigating White over the attacks. Judge Christopher Batty told the defendant: “You are a predator and highly manipulative and in my view you are a danger. You represent a significant risk of serious harm to children, to women and to the general public.”
White must serve eight years and 116 days before she can be considered for parole and will remain on licence for life if she is released.