A transgender woman, Ciara Watkin, 21, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after being found guilty of s3xual assault for concealing that she had male genitalia from a man she went on a date with.
The court heard that Watkin met the 18-year-old victim on Snapchat, where they exchanged messages before spending the night together. During their encounter, Watkin performed s3x acts on the man but refused to let him touch her, claiming she was on her period.
The truth emerged later when Watkin told the man she had a “massive secret.” It was then that she revealed she was transgender. The victim, shocked and distressed, asked, “WTF. So you have a d***?” and later told police, “I feel ill.”
Teesside Crown Court was told that Watkin had not undergone gender reassignment surgery and had used clothing to stuff her bra. Her Snapchat profile featured a female cartoon avatar, and there had been no discussion about gender or sexuality before the encounter.
The victim told officers, “All the way throughout she made out she was fully a girl.” He said the pair had spent time drinking and chatting before moving to the bedroom. “Throughout the full time, she was telling me she was on her period. It was like, as far as I was concerned, she was a female,” he explained.
After learning the truth, the victim said in a police interview that the incident had left him feeling humiliated and violated. “I am a heterosexual male and I wouldn’t even think of doing anything with a male,” he said in a victim impact statement read to the court. “This has left me feeling ashamed and embarrassed. I have been ridiculed online due to Watkin’s deception. I have been so upset over this whole thing.”
He also told investigators that discovering Watkin had a pen!s made him feel as though “it’s taken away my manhood.” He added, “I see it as something that upsets me. I’m just trying to hide my emotions. At first, I did just have an emotional breakdown.”
Watkin, who identified as female since primary school, was found guilty of two counts of s3xual ass@ult and one count of assault by penetration. She was ordered to remain on the s3x offenders register for 10 years and is under a lifelong restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim.
Her lawyer, Victoria Lamballe, told the court that Watkin had a “crass and licentious” side but also suffered from vulnerability, according to a psychiatric report. She argued that Watkin’s gender identity was “not a matter of preference or choice but a deeply ingrained aspect of her identity.”
Speaking to The Sun before the sentencing, Watkin insisted she had been unfairly treated. “He must have known I’m not female. He knew all along I was trans and at first chose to ignore it,” she said. “His mum knew and all his mates who met me knew, so how could he claim to be the only one who didn’t? I am not finished with this, I have a strong case that I have been unfairly prosecuted and I’m prepared to make a legal case for that.”
After the sentencing, Detective Constable Martin Scotson, who led the investigation, said: “This case is about true consent and the victim not being informed of exactly what he was consenting to. Ciara Watkin deceived the victim in this case, leading him to believe that throughout their s3xual relationship she was a woman, when in fact she was biologically male. Ciara purposely concealed her s3x in order for the sexual activity to take place, and had the victim been aware that Ciara was biologically male, he would not have consented.”
