• 6 months ago
• Posted in:Assault/Wounding, Domestic violence, Violent Offences
• 0
• Author: Trans Crime
• Tags: Aged 30-39, Alcohol, April Welsh, Autogynephilia, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Convicted 2021, Convicted 2023, Domestic violence, Female victim, Get Out Of Jail Free card, Lenient judge, Lenient sentence, Multiple victims, Offended 2020, Repeat offender, Sentence reduced due to transgender status, Strangulation, Suspended sentence, Trans woman, TV documentary, Wales

April Welsh, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court in October 2023 of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Welsh previously featured in a S4C TV programme called Merch Fel Fi about transgenderism in 2019. The victim was Welsh’s partner of two years, who is female.

Welsh, 37, and the victim had been out to eat in Cardiff in January 2020 and had argued when the victim didn’t want to got to a pub, as she had work the next day. Welsh took her car keys, and refused to give them back, meaning the victim had to walk home, where was unable to get a spare key from a neighbour, so had to walk back to the town centre to get her keys from Welsh. At 2.15am, Welsh finally returned home and was described as “running towards” the victim before grabbing her neck pushing her to the ground and punching and kicking her. The victim waited until Welsh was asleep and snoring before escaping to a friend’s house and calling the police.

Judge Hywel James told Welsh that he had seen photographs of the injuries inflicted on the victim during the sustained assault (which included cuts, bruises and a swollen ear) and referred to a similar subsequent assault against a new female partner. Despite this ‘pattern of offending’ against women, Welsh was given a sentence of 21 weeks suspended for 12 months. Defence counsel had told the court that Welsh would be ‘vulnerable’ if sent to prison.

The second assault – referred to in media coverage as having already been dealt with in the courts – occurred very soon after the first where Welsh apparently drunkenly assaulted a new female partner on March 7, 2020, by pushing her against a wall and furniture and kicking her in the face while she was on the floor. Welsh apparently received a suspended sentence for this attack.

Further examples of trans-identified males who manage to avoid prison time for violent/sexually violent offences are collated under the ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ tag.

Over 50 examples of domestic violence offences committed by trans-identified males are collated here

See this tag for other examples of violent trans-identified offenders who have been featured in TV documentaries.

Image credit: Wales News service via Daily Mail

Media reports

Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12639445/Transgender-woman-37-appeared-Welsh-TV-documentary-transition-launched-brutal-attacks-against-two-girlfriends-walks-free-court-told-vulnerable-prison.html archive

ITV News https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2023-10-16/repeat-domestic-abuser-punched-and-kicked-partner-after-drinking-heavily archive