Transgender stalker who treatened to ‘batter’ surgeon will serve sentence in women’s jail | UK | News

Women’s rights campaigners are furious after a dangerous transgender prisoner who threatened to “beat up” a female surgeon was moved to a women’s prison. Vivienne Taylor, 28, who was born male, was sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to causing serious alarm or distress by stalking Tina Rashid.

The follow-up campaign spanned four years and affected Ms Rashid’s work, family and social life. Ms Rashid, a senior consultant specializing in genital surgery for trans women, was so scared of her former patient Taylor that she carried a security alarm and paid £60 a day for taxis to and from work.

In sentencing, Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh, sitting at Isleworth Crown Court in west London earlier this month, took what he called the “rare course” of imposing an “exceptional” restraining order on Taylor, without limitation, from contacting Ms Rashid. The court heard the persistent “fixing” resulted in a threatening message to Ms Rashid suggesting Taylor was going to “beat” her and called her “bad”.

Judge Curtis-Raleigh said the disturbing nature of Taylor’s offending had affected Ms Rashid’s “work, family and every aspect of her life”. Taylor was initially held at the men-only HM Wandsworth but was later transferred to HM Downview, a women’s prison in Surrey.

Taylor is understood to be being held in E wing, a separate section for biologically male inmates who identify as female. The judge noted that Taylor was initially placed in a men’s prison, which he said was a “hardship”.

Campaigner Fiona McAnena, from sex rights charity Sex Matters, said: “It is appalling that Taylor, who stalks and threatens women with extreme violence, is being held in a women’s prison. “The prison service knows Taylor is a risk because it claims inmates in E wing, the men’s section who claim to be women, are kept separate from women.

“But E wing has been placed in women’s rather than men’s areas, so men who identify as trans can access women’s facilities and even mingle with female inmates.

“Many women are exposed to male violence in prisons, some even say that prisons are the only place where they feel safe from men.

“Now the women in Downview are used as props for validation of men who live out a fetishistic fantasy of femininity. If this man is kept away from women for their safety, he shouldn’t be in Downview at all.”

Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho said: “Under no circumstances should a man be placed in a women’s prison. Bridget Phillipson [Minister for Women and Equalities] “It needs to put an end to indecision and delay and finally publish new EHRC guidance to ensure vulnerable women are appropriately protected.”

Feminist campaigner, author and journalist Julie Bindel was in court when Taylor, wearing a baby pink jacket and wearing full make-up, was sentenced. He said: “All of a sudden they’re saying these men can’t go to men’s prisons because they’re not safe, but then we’re going to put them in women’s prisons because they think women will treat them well. This is complete nonsense****. He’s a dangerous man.”

“Why isn’t he in a ward in a men’s prison where he can be monitored?”

During sentencing, the court heard Taylor had a history of mental health problems and domestic violence.

A Department of Justice spokesman confirmed Taylor was at the scene in E Wing. They added: “HMP Downview has a separate unit for trans prisoners isolated from the main female population.” The Department of Justice confirmed with the wider female prison population that E Wing inmates “may participate in supervised activities in some circumstances.”