A transgender woman has been convicted of s3xual assault after concealing her biological s3x from a man she met on a date. Ciara Watkin, 21, was found guilty at Teesside Crown Court of two counts of s3xual assault and one count of assault by penetration after failing to disclose to her victim that she still had male genit@lia. The court heard that Watkin and the man had exchanged messages on Snapchat before spending the night together. Her profile featured a female cartoon avatar, and there had been no discussion about her gender or s3xuality. Watkin, who had not undergone gender reassignment surgery, also stuffed clothing inside her bra to enhance the appearance of her body. During their encounter, Watkin performed s3xual acts on the man but prevented him from touching her, claiming she was on her period. The victim told police in an interview played in court: All the way throughout she made out she was fully a girl. He described how the two had spent time drinking and chatting before going 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 said. The victim only discovered the truth later when Watkin confessed she had a massive secret. Initially, he thought she was pregnant, but Watkin then revealed: Im trans. Im sorry I didnt tell you. The man recalled his reaction, messaging: WTF. So you have a d***? OMFG. I feel ill. He later told police the revelation had left him shocked, claiming it had taken away my manh00d and saying he would never have consented to s3xual activity had he known Watkin was transgender.
He added: I see it as something that upsets me. Im just trying to hide my emotions. At first I did just have an emotional breakdown. Prosecutors argued that Watkins failure to disclose her transgender status meant the victim could not have given informed consent. Sarah Nelson, Senior Crown Prosecutor at CPS North East, said: It is clear from the evidence in this case that, prior to engaging in s3xual activity with the victim, Watkin had made no attempt to inform him of her transgender status. The Crown Prosecution Service has shown that, by failing to disclose this to him, it would not have been possible for him to give informed consent to s3xual activity.
She added: The victim has made clear in police interview that he would not have engaged in sexual activity had he known that Watkin was transgender and, consequently, these events have had a significant impact on his mental wellbeing. We hope that he can take some comfort from seeing Watkin convicted for these serious sexual offences today. Watkin, from Teesside, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on October 10.
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