Robert/Raven
Robert/Raven, a violent male who identifies as a transgender woman, was convicted of murder in 1981 and jailed for life. After being released on licence in 2000, Robert/Raven was then convicted in 2013 of rape of a child under 13 and jailed for 16 years. While serving this second life sentence in a men’s prison, Robert/Raven started identifying as transgender in 2021.
No further details of 66 year-old Robert/Raven’s identity or the victims are currently available – The Sun On Sunday newspaper discovered the case in 2025 via probation service documents detailing the prisoner’s failed attempt to be transferred to an open category jail. Robert/Raven challenged this refusal saying the panel placed undue weight on the prisoner being transgender, and that holding the hearing remotely was unfair due to Robert/Raven’s learning difficulties and limited understanding of proceedings.
The chair of the parole board refused the appeal and said that there were no grounds to change the decision that Robert/Raven was not suitable for being held in open conditions.
See here for other examples of trans-identified males who have transitioned in prison while serving long sentences for violent and/or sexually violent offences. In 2023, the government finally changed policy to prevent male prisoners convicted of violent/sexual offences from being transferred to the female estate, following appalling safeguarding failures which resulted in rapists such as Karen White and Isla Bryson being allocated to women’s prisons.
Media reports
The Sun On Sunday https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/34785499/murderer-child-rapist-transgender-open-prison/ archive