• 3 hours ago
• Posted in:Possession of weapons, Violent Offences
• 0
• Author: Trans Crime
• Tags: Aged 40-49, Autogynephilia, Bankruptcy, Claimed self defence, Convicted 2019, Convicted 2025, Failed to attend court, Get Out Of Jail Free card, No jail, Norfolk, Norfolk Constabulary, Offended 2019, Offended 2025, Police /courts using defendant pronouns, Repeat offender, Reported as transgender woman, Reported as woman, Suspended sentence, Trans woman

Shane/Sheniece Watkins, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted at Lynn Magistrates’ Court in July 2025 of possession of a bladed article in a public place.

At sentencing at Norwich Crown Court in October 2025, Watkins became the latest beneficiary of the trans Get Out of Jail Free card, when the nine month prison sentence was suspended for 12 months. The court ordered the destruction of the weapon and Watkins must complete 32 rehabilitation requirement days and pay a victim surcharge of £154. Watkins, aged 49 and from Hunstanton, Norfolk, similarly appeared in court in 2019 for carrying a weapon in a public place, therefore it had been expected that a custodial sentence would be imposed for this latest offence. He appeared in court wearing lace-frilled lilac ankle socks of the kind a very young girl would wear.

Local coverage of the incident revealed that police were called by Watkins to Heacham North Beach on May 17 alleging he had been “verbally abused”. However, officers were unable to identify any suspects behind the alleged abuse and Watkins was found to be in possession of a lock knife (illegal to carry as the folding blade can be locked in the open position) and he was arrested. 

See here for at least five other trans-identified males who have owned and/or brandished weapons then claimed self-defence to non-existent threats, including Katrina Harte who was found in possession of a stun gun and CS gas, Susan Bond who drunkenly discharged a BB gun in Doncaster town centre and Musia Deria who brandished a knife in a shop. The Possession Of Weapons category collates a wider group of over 60 trans-identified men whose offending involved weapons such as Kyle/Zoe Watts who has twice been convicted of possessing a huge cache of deadly weapons and explosives.

Watkins, had been due to appear in court on October 21 but failed to attend so the court issued an arrest warrant – see here for other trans-identified men who have failed to attend court.

The defendant was reportedly referred to in court with female pronouns – one local paper described Watkins as a woman and the other did manage to include Watkins’ trans status in their reporting. Prosecutors apparently refused to say if Watkins had been held in a female or male prison while on remand.

Image credit: Bruno Brown via Eastern Daily Press

Media reports

North Norfolk News https://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news/25569705.transwoman-hunstanton-avoids-jail-knife-incident/  archive

Lynn News https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/news/woman-had-knife-on-beach-for-self-defence-9426031/  archive

Eastern Daily Press https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/25569705.transwoman-hunstanton-avoids-jail-knife-incident/  archive

The Gazette bankruptcy orders https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4814576  archive