A transgender pedophile has avoided imprisonment after a court delayed the case in order to decide whether he should go to a male or female prison. Tanya Howes – a man dressed as a woman – admitted to three charges of possessing indecent images of children, including 39 ‘Category A’ images – the most serious – and another 100 extreme pornographic images and videos in February 2020.
The usual punishment for such offenses in English law is between six months and three years imprisonment, with Howes even being told by magistrates his crimes “would normally attract immediate custody.” Instead, he was ordered to undertake 30 days of rehabilitation, pay victim surcharges, and was added to the sex offenders register.
The court adjourned the case following an application by the Norfolk Probation Service, which referred the case to the Transgender Case Board to determine the appropriate prison for him as a self-described transgender woman. “Because of the [time] lag, no reoffending and because probation feel they can rehabilitate you,” Howes skipped incarceration, stated the leading magistrate in the court, Ian Taylor.
“It seems unduly lenient. It’s nothing to do with the person being transgender, it’s the nature of the offences… [the verdict] ought to be revised,” says David Campbell Bannerman, a Norfolk-based former Member of the European Parliament.
