Ben/Lana Laws

Ben/Lana Laws (aka Ben Eccott), a violent male who identifies as a trans woman was convicted of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by failing to notify police of a relationship with a female child whom Laws met online.

Laws, 34, a convicted sex offender, was given a nine-month jail sentence in January 2018, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid community work. Laws claimed “forgetfulness rather than malice” in court.

Despite Laws’ previous sexual offending, breaches of restrictions and previous psychiatric reports suggesting a considerable risk to children, the judge inexplicably stated at sentencing that “this is not predatory sexual offending and this relationship has not been perceived as being abusive and no harm, in that sense, was involved.”

Laws was originally convicted at Margate Magistrates’ Court in February 2011 of eight counts of making indecent photographs of children and subsequently received a 12-month suspended sentence at Canterbury Crown Court  – despite having previous convictions for sexual assaults for approaching young women on the street and attempting to touch them. Laws alleged in court that personal experience of childhood abuse was a motive for the sexual offending, claiming downloading 100 obscene images of naked children and girls in school uniform as “research”. In addition, Laws had continued to offend while on bail.

Following conviction in 2011, Laws was placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years and restrictions were also imposed which prohibited Laws from living in the same house as someone under the age of 18 and requiring the police be notified of any new relationships. A Sexual Offences Prevention Order was also imposed banning possession of a mobile phone capable of accessing the internet.

Laws breached the SOPO twice when found in possession of a mobile phone – the second time after being caught stealing champagne and whiskey from Marks & Spencer. A security guard had recognised Laws as previously stealing alcohol from the shop seven months earlier. Despite the judge at Canterbury Crown Court branding Laws’s behaviour as “smacking of arrogance”, the suspended sentence was not activated and Laws escaped a custodial sentence. Sentence was also deferred so Laws could complete a sex offenders’ treatment course.

(Laws’ age is inconsistently reported – reports in 2011 and 2012 report the offender as 32 and 34 years old, whereas 2018 reports also state Laws as being 34 years old.)

See also Kristen Lukess and Dominic Purvis (male trans sex offenders who changed their name & breached restrictions imposed to prevent them living with children)

See also Alan Baker, Christopher Hunnisett, Paul Hayhurst, Jasmine Hill, Aaron Herschell, Kira Leverton and Terence Moore (male trans violent/sex offenders who met their victims online)

See also Paul Reed (male transvestite sex offender who repeatedly re-offended after attending a sex offender treatment course)

See also Mark Lazarus, Peter Trigger and Geoffrey Holyoake (male trans sex offenders with a school uniform fetish)

If you have concerns about a child you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or help@nspcc.org.uk

Photos via theukdatabase

Media reports

UK Online Sex Offender Database entry for Ben Laws  archive

The Mirror http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/convicted-sex-offender-found-living-11797897 archive

Kent Online http://www.kentonline.co.uk/thanet/news/convicted-sex-offender-found-living-with-teenage-girl-157917/ archive

Kent Online http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/not-just-any-shoplifter-sex-o-a58542/ archive

Isle of Thanet Gazette (archive) “Son claims politician father’s abuse led to child porn ‘research'” 18 March 2011

https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-28530162.html

Labour 25 blog https://labour25.com/2011/07/17/like-father-like-son-labour25/ archive