A double rapist who changed gender while waiting to stand trial has been jailed for eight years. Isla Bryson attacked two women in Clydebank and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019 while known as Adam Graham. The judge said Bryson posed a high risk of reoffending and would be supervised for three years after release.
The case sparked a heated debate over whether Bryson should be housed in a male or a female prison after transitioning from a man to a woman.
Bryson, 31, was initially remanded to a women’s jail after being found guilty, but was then moved to a men’s facility. This followed concerns about the safety of any women held alongside a transgender sex offender in a female jail.
The case ultimately led to an urgent review and a change in policy which will see all newly-convicted or remanded transgender prisoners initially placed in jails according to their birth sex.
Passing sentence, Lord Scott told Bryson: “You see yourself as the victim in this case. But you are not.” The judge said reports suggested Bryson had a set of neuro-developmental disorders. “Your vulnerability is no excuse at all for what you did to these two women in 2016 and 2019,” he said. “Regardless of your own vulnerability, in a period of just under three years, you raped two women who can both be regarded as vulnerable.” Lord Scott said Bryson had preyed on victims because of their vulnerability and raped them in their own homes. He added that the rapist – who continues to deny committing the offences – would be placed on the sex offenders register for life.
Bryson’s estranged wife, Shonna Graham, said the focus should be on the victims. “The way I see it is he is a man, he done the crime as a man… he should do the time in a man’s jail,” she said.
Ms Graham said she had met Adam Bryson in 2015 and they married the following year. The 31-year-old said there had never been any suggestion during their relationship that her husband wanted to become a woman.
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Article URL : https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64796926