Ian / Lisa Marie Whittall
Silhouette image via Wikimedia Commons
Ian / Lisa Marie Whittall, a violent male who identifies as a trans woman, was convicted at Stafford Crown Court of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to cause serious harm in 2002. The victim, Mark Edwards, was the former husband of Whittall’s wife, Donna Marie; he was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot on the brain.
Whitthall, 37, was sentenced to a mere 15 months in prison. Sentencing Whittall, Judge Shand said: ‘I have considered carefully your vulnerability in custody but courts consider it their duty sometimes to send people to prison. You are someone with problems with gender identification. You may be vulnerable in prison. I reduce the sentence I was going to pass because of exceptional circumstances.’
The court heard that Whitthall was now undergoing hormone therapy ‘which would curb her aggression’ and the defence team submitted that ‘She has a genuine on-going personality problem. On the night of the attack she gave in to pressure and tried to prove her masculinity. Since this problem she has been forced to confront her life.’
Whittall’s wife was subsequently granted a divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.
Media reports
Birmingham Post & Mail (archived) Sex-change man jailed after attack archive
Birmingham Post (archived) https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-100955945.html