Ciara Watkin
Ciara Watkin, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted in August 2025 at Teesside Crown Court, of sexual assault. The prosecution follows Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) ‘Deception as to sex’ guidance that clarifies the law on when deceiving someone or failing to disclose birth sex could affect consent in rape cases.
Watkin, aged 21 and from Thornaby, lied to the male victim about being biologically female when performing sex acts on him – this meant the victim could not consent to the sexual activity, and is therefore an example of deception as to sex. The offences occurred over a number of days in June 2022 when both victim and complainant were aged 17 and met via Snapchat. When a police officer asked Watkin why he didn’t tell the victim earlier, Watkin replied: “Dunno. ‘Cos it’s hard for me to find relationships.” The victim, who was described as a ‘naive young man’, said the revelation of Watkin’s sex left him feeling sick and told the police that he ‘didn’t swing that way’.
The BBC included comments from Sarah Nelson, the senior prosecutor saying that it was “clear” that before they had sexual activity, Watkin had “made no attempt to inform” the man of “her [sic] transgender status”. “By failing to disclose this to him, it would not have been possible for him to give informed consent to sexual activity.” Note that the BBC refers to the victim as “the man” but the victim was aged 17 at the time and therefore still a child. Ms Nelson also states that the assaults had had a “a significant impact” on the victim’s mental wellbeing. How the victim felt about the court and state-funded broadcaster participating in the perpetrator’s assertion that he is woman (by using female pronouns for him), rather than the victim’s reality (that Watkin is male) isn’t brought up, unsurprisingly.
Given the significance of achieving a conviction in this sex by deception case, the CPS issued a press release, available here (archive), The release gives examples of the deception Watkin perpetrated, but also perpetuates the confusion by using female pronouns for the male defendant – e.g. “Watkin told the defendant that she was on her period, preventing him from touching her below the waist as she performed sexual acts upon him.”
SEEN In Journalism (a network for journalists seeking to restore accuracy and impartiality to media coverage of sex and gender) made the valid point that a programme within the BBC Disclosure Shorts series asked the question “Should I tell you I’m trans?” and then includes interviews with trans individuals advocating for not telling prospective sexual partners that they are trans. The BBC subsequently added a legal clarification (citing the CPS guidance) to the programme page on i-Player (see left). Another X/Twitter user asked the pertinent question ‘If sex by deception is a criminal offence, why does the state aid and abet it by issuing passports and driving licences which lie about a person’s sex, which could obviously be used to mislead a partner?’
Sarah Vine KC, a prominent criminal barrister, has written a thoughtful post on the Legal Feminist blog, pointing out that Watkin (and many other trans-identifying young people) have likely not received candid, factual information/education about this complex area and its potential to result in conviction for a sex offence. She notes that “people who, for whatever reason, present in a way which conceals their sex should surely be protected from misinformation about where the legal boundaries lie” and concludes “When those who are in a position to educate decide to ignore, or promote confusion about, the law then it is most frequently going to be young, inexperienced people like [Watkin] and his victim who pay the price.”
Dr Michael Foran, from the University of Oxford and an expert in sex, gender identity and the law, has written in depth on sex deception in criminal law – the chapter in his book is available here and commentary on his blog, here.
Somewhat predictably, UK trans activists did not respond well to the case outcome, muttering darkly about challenging the law at the ECHR and/or bestowing their sympathy on the perpetrator rather than the victim. For example, erstwhile newsreader/current Fiat 500 tantrummer, India (né Jonathan) Willoughby, insisted Watkin had “done nothing wrong”, posting on X/Twitter “Can’t stop thinking about the poor UK woman who now faces jail, purely for having performed a CONSENSUAL sexual act with a c!s guy.” A very real reminder that many adult trans activists (who should know better) are a poor source of education and guidance for trans youth.
Watkin was bailed to await sentencing, provisionally listed for 10 October 2025 and must sign the sex offender’s register in the meantime. In the Daily Mail the judge is reported as saying that ‘jail was the overwhelming likelihood’ whereas the BBC reports the judge as saying “imprisonment was possible.”
Main image credit: Instagram/Terry Blackburn via BBC
Media reports
BBC Transgender woman guilty of sex assaults on man https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gmvgn8z7yo archive
CNN (via Reuters newswire coverage) https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/22/uk/uk-transgender-woman-assault-intl archive
Teesside Live https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/ciara-watkin-sex-assault-trial-32322776 archive
Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15024745/Trans-woman-concealed-male-genitalia-performing-sex-act-man-guilty-sexual-assault.html archive
Pink News https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/08/23/ciara-watkin-uk-woman-found-guilty-of-sexual-assault-for-failing-to-disclose-she-was-trans/ archive