• 2 years ago
• Posted in:Child Sexual Abuse, Rape / Sexual Assault, Sexual Offences
• 0
• Author: Trans Crime
• Tags: Aged 40-49, Autogynephilia, Bailed, BBC, Belfast, Child victim, Convicted 2023, County Down, Grooming, Learning difficulties, Male victim, Media obscuring trans status, Northern Ireland, Offended 2021, Police /courts using defendant pronouns, Pronouns, PSNI, Reported as woman, Snapchat, Social media, Trans woman, Victim impact statement

Isobel Murphy, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Belfast Crown Court in June 2023 of six sex offences against a 13 year old boy; namely, sexual activity by an adult with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity involving penetration; intentionally engaging in sexual touching of a child; two counts of sexually communicating with a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity, all of which were committed over a period in 2021. An additional charge of sexual touching of a child ‘on the books not to be proceeded with.’

Murphy, aged 46, initially denied the offences when appearing in court in March 2023 – a common tactic of sex offenders hoping the child won’t be able to face giving evidence after many months of dreading facing their abuser in court. However, the judge fast tracked the case for the following month and Murphy ended up pleading guilty to the heinous offences.

Despite being convicted of multiple sex offences against a child, Murphy was bailed until sentencing while psychiatric reports and a Victim Impact Report were prepared. All media reports described Murphy as a ’46 year old Bangor woman’ in coverage and headlines.

*Update October 2023*

Murphy was sentenced to 27-months (divided equally between prison and licence), and was also made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. Although Murphy was described as “of limited intellect” in court, the judge remarked on the defendant’s “grooming and manipulative behaviour”. Murphy apparently gave the young victim a secret mobile phone topped up with credit which was used to send hundreds of sexually explicit messages to the child and a video of Murphy committing a sex act (i.e masturbating). Murphy’s offending was discovered after the boy’s mother found the phone, read some of the Snapchat messages and alerted the police.

After the court heard about the ‘stress’ the perpetrator suffered due to the case – such as having to move from their Belfast home (where the offences took place) to Bangor – the victim’s aunt made the valid point that “We heard in court about the stress she [sic] has suffered, but what about the child she [sic] abused? “He’s coming 16 now. He’s had to move schools and his mental health is not good.”

Nowhere in the BBC coverage of the sentencing does it mention that Murphy is a trans-identified male and female pronouns are used.

Image credit: Alan Lewis – PhotopressBelfast.co.uk via Belfast Telegraph

Media reports

BBC Isobel Murphy jailed for sexually abusing teenage boy https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-67233028 archive

Belfast Telegraph https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/courts/co-down-woman-pleads-guilty-to-sexually-abusing-teenage-boy/a1872655716.html archive

ITV https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2023-06-19/woman-admits-sexual-abuse-of-boy archive

Belfast Live https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/bangor-woman-appears-court-facing-26469730 archive