Peter Selby
Peter Selby, a male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court in June 2022 of three charges of making indecent images of children, and one of possessing extreme pornography, involving an adult perpetrating a sex offence on an animal.
Selby, 68, had accumulated over 125,000 indecent images of children, some as young as three years old. 2,413 of the images were of Category A, which is the most serious and depicts rape/sexual sadism perpetrated on children, 2,127 were Category B and 120,864 were Category C. The judge told Selby: “Children have had to be sexually abused to satisfy your own perverted desires”. He had used search terms such as “pre-teen” and “jail bait” to seek out the images.
Despite this appalling number and type of images, Selby’s 14 month prison sentence was suspended for two years. In common with many other trans-identified male sex offenders, the defendant’s transgender status appears to have been deployed to avoid prison – effectively, a Get Out Of Jail Free card (over 60 other examples collected under this tag). The judge told Selby “You identify as transgender and that has caused issues for you and anxiety for you in how you would cope with that if you were sent immediately to prison.” and added that the “impact of custody would be significant for you in the circumstances.”
Selby must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for ten years.
Baroness Nicholson, a Conservative peer, has demanded review of Selby’s sentence, saying it demonstrated a ‘disregard’ for child safety and questioned whether the judge had ‘overlooked’ child protection in giving the suspended sentence, which allowed Selby to remain in the community. Baroness Nicholson is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: ‘We have a monstrous track record on child abuse, child pornography and child trafficking today. The State is a poor parent and this case demonstrates to me – and I am sure to others – a level of disregard for children that goes aggressively against the law, our customs and practice. I feel very strongly indeed about this.’
*Update June 2025*
Just nine months after Selby’s conviction, police visited his home in March of 2023, to conduct a risk review, and discovered that he had downloaded VPN software intended to conceal his internet activity. Selby pled guilty to a breach of his ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) at Newcastle Crown Court in June 2025.
Selby once again avoided jail and was handed a ten month sentence, suspended for 18 months. Judge Robert Adams said: “You would undoubtedly be at risk of physical or sexual assault in custody because of your presentation in a male prison.” Selby reportedly appeared in court ‘wearing lipstick and with visible fake breasts’. The judge said, “You have been wearing women’s clothing for the last 30 years” and went on to say “Your family have distanced themselves from you as a result.”
Photo credit: Geordie Chasers
Media reports
The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/35240440/paedo-avoid-jail-transgender-back-court/ archive
The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/transgender-status-helps-paedophile-peter-selby-to-avoid-prison-8w693jxhn archive
The Shields Gazette https://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crime/south-shields-pervert-caught-with-over-125000-child-abuse-images-3717922 archive
Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10887387/Backlash-transgender-paedophile-spared-jail-Peer-demands-review-sentence.html archive
Reduxx https://reduxx.info/uk-trans-identified-male-pedophile-avoids-jail-after-being-caught-with-125000-child-sex-abuse-images/ archive
Peter Selby
Peter Selby, a male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court in June 2022 of three charges of making indecent images of children, and one of possessing extreme pornography, involving an adult perpetrating a sex offence on an animal.
Selby, 68, had accumulated over 125,000 indecent images of children, some as young as three years old. 2,413 of the images were of Category A, which is the most serious and depicts rape/sexual sadism perpetrated on children, 2,127 were Category B and 120,864 were Category C. The judge told Selby: “Children have had to be sexually abused to satisfy your own perverted desires”. He had used search terms such as “pre-teen” and “jail bait” to seek out the images.
Despite this appalling number and type of images, Selby’s 14 month prison sentence was suspended for two years. In common with many other trans-identified male sex offenders, the defendant’s transgender status appears to have been deployed to avoid prison – effectively, a Get Out Of Jail Free card (over 60 other examples collected under this tag). The judge told Selby “You identify as transgender and that has caused issues for you and anxiety for you in how you would cope with that if you were sent immediately to prison.” and added that the “impact of custody would be significant for you in the circumstances.”
Selby must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for ten years.
Baroness Nicholson, a Conservative peer, has demanded review of Selby’s sentence, saying it demonstrated a ‘disregard’ for child safety and questioned whether the judge had ‘overlooked’ child protection in giving the suspended sentence, which allowed Selby to remain in the community. Baroness Nicholson is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: ‘We have a monstrous track record on child abuse, child pornography and child trafficking today. The State is a poor parent and this case demonstrates to me – and I am sure to others – a level of disregard for children that goes aggressively against the law, our customs and practice. I feel very strongly indeed about this.’
*Update June 2025*
Just nine months after Selby’s conviction, police visited his home in March of 2023, to conduct a risk review, and discovered that he had downloaded VPN software intended to conceal his internet activity. Selby pled guilty to a breach of his ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) at Newcastle Crown Court in June 2025.
Selby once again avoided jail and was handed a ten month sentence, suspended for 18 months. Judge Robert Adams said: “You would undoubtedly be at risk of physical or sexual assault in custody because of your presentation in a male prison.” Selby reportedly appeared in court ‘wearing lipstick and with visible fake breasts’. The judge said, “You have been wearing women’s clothing for the last 30 years” and went on to say “Your family have distanced themselves from you as a result.”
Photo credit: Geordie Chasers
Media reports
The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/35240440/paedo-avoid-jail-transgender-back-court/ archive
The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/transgender-status-helps-paedophile-peter-selby-to-avoid-prison-8w693jxhn archive
The Shields Gazette https://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crime/south-shields-pervert-caught-with-over-125000-child-abuse-images-3717922 archive
Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10887387/Backlash-transgender-paedophile-spared-jail-Peer-demands-review-sentence.html archive
Reduxx https://reduxx.info/uk-trans-identified-male-pedophile-avoids-jail-after-being-caught-with-125000-child-sex-abuse-images/ archive