Alan/Alannah Morgan

Alan/Alannah Morgan, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court in April 2022 of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. Morgan has a long list of previous convictions.

Her lawyer said exposing her genitals was not a sexual act but was “a demonstration” in an argument about gender. https://t.co/L9VpfPcujR
— The Courier (@thecourieruk) April 25, 2022

Morgan, 50, was arrested in March 2022 after behaving violently outside a hostel in Dundee, hurling a skateboard and shouting and swearing at staff. In the police van, the defendant continued to behave violently and exposed their genitals and buttocks – this was later argued by Morgan’s solicitor as ‘not a sexual act’ but ‘a demonstration’ during an argument over gender.

Media coverage describes Morgan as appearing on court rolls and also being known as Alan. Despite this indicating that the defendant does not have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), Morgan was held on remand at HMP Cornton Vale (a women’s prison) prior to appearing in court to admit the offence. In court Morgan was described as having mental health problems and not having taken prescribed medication at the time of the offences.

The report in The Courier described Morgan as ‘a woman’ and uses female pronouns throughout. Their tweet on 25 April 2022 nonsensically read “Her lawyer said exposing her genitals was not a sexual act but was “a demonstration” in an argument about gender.”

*Update November 2022*

At Dundee sheriff court on 2 November 2022, Morgan was sentenced in relation to four separate complaints – two of which the offender was designated as a man and two as a woman. In court, Morgan’s solicitor feigned ignorance as to why a male prisoner with a history of violent offences would have been risk assessed and consequently kept away from vulnerable female prisoners while on remand at HMP Cornton Vale, saying “She’s been kept in isolation. I’m not entirely sure why.”

As “Alannah”, Morgan admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner in the city’s Happyhillock Road on 24 February 2021 by striking a floor and screaming. On the same complaint, Morgan also admitted having a knife and shouting and swearing and referring to Andrew Rhynd in derogatory terms and uttering threats in April 2021. On the second complaint being designated as a woman, Morgan admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner in Nethergate, Dundee, on 24 April.

Then – as Alan – Morgan admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner and adopting an aggressive demeanour while making derogatory remarks to police in the city’s Brewery Lane on 3 January 2022 when already subject to an anti-social behaviour order. And in the final case, Morgan admitted the offences described above – namely, again acting in a threatening or abusive manner in Brewery Lane on 23 March 2022 and repeatedly throwing a skateboard around and kicking bins. Morgan also admitted shouting, swearing and making offensive remarks to police in the back of a vehicle and at police HQ in Dundee, striking a cell door, exposing his buttocks and repeatedly spitting within a cell and pulling down his trousers to expose his genitals.

In common with a great many other trans-identified male repeat offenders detailed on this site, Morgan avoided a prison sentence. Sheriff Alistair Carmichael placed Morgan on a tag for three months to cover all of the cases and imposed a curfew order to stay indoors between 7pm and 7am each day. He said: “The combination of these offences puts this at the custodial threshold, so it would be worthy of a prison sentence, but I’m obliged to look at alternatives.”

Several media articles suggested this was a legal first where an offender appeared as both a man and a “woman” in a court on the same day – this is not true. In 2020, the convicted sex offender, Brandon Walker, who has repeatedly offended against children, was convicted of 5 offences on the same day under two different names. The five offences were: two counts of failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders’ register (under the name Chloe Walker) and two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (under the name Brandon Walker) and one of failing to tell police of a new phone number. Walker was sentenced to ten months in prison.

This predictable confusion concerning transgender sex offenders changing their names and the known loopholes that Keep Prisons Single Sex has highlighted within Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) procedures will undoubtably lead to missed opportunities to identify risks and safeguard children and vulnerable adults from predators who identify as trans, whether sincerely or specifically to access victims.

Loopholes in DBS resulting from gender change (including self ID) are unlike those resulting from deed poll because of enhanced individual privacy rights around gender change. These must be tackled separately & we cannot end the discussion with deed poll. https://t.co/n8SqYuxp4y
— Keep Prisons Single Sex (@NoXYinXXprisons) December 1, 2022

*Update September 2024*

*David Law, MP (left) and Alan/Alannah Morgan. Image via The Courier*

On 3 September 2024, Morgan was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on Marshall Street in the city on November 24 and 25, 2022, and also at Dundee police HQ on November 29, i.e. a short time after being previously convicted of threatening and abusing people. Before the trial started, Morgan admitted two charges of graffitiing business premises in Lochee High Street on 22 November 2022. Morgan also admitted maliciously spray painting walls at The Chicken Club and Boots.

Morgan, 52, hurled threats and abuse and swore at Chris Law, an SNP MP for Dundee, causing fear or alarm to him and his staff both outside and inside his parliamentary office. Among other foul-mouthed abuse, Morgan reportedly yelled “F**k you, you will all be gone soon, the whole lot of you” which the MP perceived as a threat, given recent murders of both Jo Cox, MP and David Ames, MP and many other politicians who have received violent threats.

Morgan’s solicitor intervened during evidence by the first witness, a woman named Maria Marsh, to express his client’s concerns about how Morgan was being addressed in evidence. Several other witnesses, including the MP’s communications officer Gerry Moriarty, also described Morgan as “he” and “him” as they detailed how they had observed the targeting of Mr Law. Far from cowing to misgendering claims, the sheriff Alistair Carmichael appears to have lost patience with Morgan, saying: “I am sure the witness is not trying to be rude or anything. “It is her perception that she is giving to the court. “I don’t think any of us is qualified to tell her to do anything other than that.” In the trial report, The Courier also appeared to have abandoned using female pronouns for Morgan, using “lout” in the headline and male pronouns throughout (e.g. “He admitted maliciously spray painting walls…. ” and “He painted a swastika…”) except where reporting the direct speech of lawyers in court who referred to Morgan as “she” and “her”.

As observed by the team at For Women Scotland, Chris Law was especially vocal about the Section 35 order issued by the UK government which prevented the Scottish government implementing gender Self ID. Mr Laws felt fear & alarm when an angry, aggressive, trans-identified male constituent shouted abuse at him, but clearly can’t recognise that women may feal similar fear and alarm of other angry, aggressive trans-identified males in female-only spaces and places of refuge.

Sentencing was deferred for reports to be produced on Morgan.

*Update October 2024*

At sentencing, sheriff Alistair Carmichael said he considered custody but opted for a community sentence (180 hours of community work) due to the passage of time and Morgan’s improved circumstances. He also referenced the recent murders of Jo Cox, MP and Sir David Amess, MP saying “These were serious offences, including threatening behaviour near to the office of a Member of Parliament, at a time when democratically elected politicians had been murdered. “You are entitled to express political opinions but the words you chose and the tone you used, meant this amounted to criminal offending.” Local coverage in the The Courier appeared to have reverted to describing Morgan as a “woman”.

See here for further examples of trans-identified males who have received community/suspended sentences after committing violent and/or sexually violent offences – the so-called Trans Get Out of Jail Free Card.

Image via Daily Record