Robert Messer

Silhouette image via Wikimedia Commons

Robert Messer, a violent male who identifies as a trans woman, was convicted of harassment at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in 2014 and a further count of possessing extreme pornographic images involving bestiality. 

Messer, 40, received a six month jail sentence suspended for two years with 12 months supervision. Messer was also ordered to pay a £80 victim surcharge and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order not to contact the victim or enter the street of her home in the Pontypridd area.

The victim was  first contacted by the defendant when she advertised her availability for cleaning work on Gumtree; Messer asked her to model for photography sessions before beginning to systematically groom, bully and coerce her into removing clothing until she was naked save for a pair of tights. Messer told police he had a fetish for tights and turned up to photograph the victim while wearing women’s clothing.

When the victim tried to break contact Messer attempted to blackmail her into sending nude photographs when she was pregnant by threatening to send previously taken photographs to her family. The defendant also bombarded her with abusive emails when she refused the sexual contact Messer said she ‘owed’.

Messer’s defence cited gender identity issues in mitigation saying “He has struggled with his identity”  and was “undergoing gender reassignment”. The court also heard Messer, of Llandrindod Wells, “had come to court hearings dressed in male clothing as a mark of respect but in normal day-to-day life had dressed as a woman since the beginning of the year”

However, in his sentencing remarks, the judge said “Your sexuality and gender reassignment is irrelevant.”

It is unknown whether Messer’s employment in the civil service was terminated on conviction.

See this tag for males who identify as trans women who have been convicted of offences involving blackmail and also Wendy Jones, Kira Leverton and Dawn Love – male transgender sex offenders convicted of possessing extreme animal pornography.

Media reports

Wales Online https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/robert-messer-avoids-jail-harrassing-7513095 archive