A transgender woman, Davina Ayrton convicted of rape when she was a man, has been sent to a male prison.
Ayrton, 34, who changed her name from David three years ago was found guilty on Friday, January 9, of raping a 15-year-old girl in the autumn of 2004. The week-long trial at Portsmouth crown court heard that she had attempted to kill herself last summer.
Judge Ian Pearson remanded Ayrton into custody for her safety and said it was likely she would be held in Winchester prison until sentencing on 4 March.
Ayrton, who was said to have learning difficulties, has been living at the Heywood Sumner House care home in nearby Fordingbridge. She has not undergone any physical modifications or taken medication as part of her gender change.
"I am going to have to remand in custody, if I were to release on bail there are substantial grounds to believe she would be a risk to herself and a risk of failing to attend for whatever reason," Judge Pearson said.
"I will therefore have to remand in custody, it will have to be a male prison in Winchester but it will be an issue for the prison service."
Thanking the jury, the judge added: "It’s been a slightly unusual case and it’s not been an easy case."
The trial heard that Ayrton had met the teenage victim, who had run away from home, and two friends on an evening in autumn 2004 and gone drinking in a garage which had a sofa and chairs in it.
The victim described how she screamed and shouted at Ayrton, who was 23 at the time, to stop but failed to wake her friend and her boyfriend who were asleep nearby
The prosecution was brought after a care worker reported that Ayrton had confessed to the rape in January 2014, described herself as a “paedophile” and said she had “always known there was something wrong with me and I need help".
Ayrton, who has a son, was convicted of possessing indecent images of children at Bournemouth crown court in January 2014. A court officer said the prison had been informed and protocols put in place for Ayrton’s detention.
Source: the guardian UK
