Convicted Rapist Who Suddenly Came Out As Trans After Arrest Gets Eight-Year Prison Sentence

Convicted Rapist Who Suddenly Came Out As Trans After Arrest Gets Eight-Year Prison Sentence

Trevor Schakohl on February 28, 2023

A transgender two-time convicted rapist was sentenced to eight years in Scottish prison Tuesday after starting to publicly identify as female while awaiting trial and spending time in a women’s prison, according to BBC News.

Isla Bryson, 31, was found guilty on Jan. 24 of raping one woman in 2016 and another in 2019 while still named Adam, the outlet reported. Bryson began publicly identifying as a woman before trial and was remanded to Scotland’s Cornton Vale women’s prison for a short time, reportedly never coming into contact with other inmates there, but Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ultimately declared that Bryson’s rape sentence would not be served there in “short-term or long-term” following public criticism, according to The Telegraph.

“You see yourself as the victim in this situation. You are not,” Edinburgh High Court judge Lord Scott told Bryson at the Tuesday sentencing hearing, despite noting Bryson’s history of mental health issues, CBS News reported.

The sentencing came the day after officials instituted a policy barring transgender women from women’s prisons in Wales and England without specific high-level approval if they have been convicted of violent or sexual crimes or still have male genitalia.

Scotland had already announced plans shortly after Bryson’s removal from Cornton Vale to male criminals identifying as female from being sent to female prisons if they committed violent acts against women, Reuters reported.