Photo: Transgender woman who raped a girl before transition sent to male prison

A transgender woman, Davina Ayrton convicted of
rape when she was a man, has been sent to a
male prison.
Ayrton, 34, who changed her name from David
three years ago was found guilty on Friday,
January 9, of raping a 15-year-old girl in the
autumn of 2004. The week-long trial at
Portsmouth crown court heard that she had
attempted to kill herself last summer.
Judge Ian Pearson remanded Ayrton into custody
for her safety and said it was likely she would be
held in Winchester prison until sentencing on 4
March.
Ayrton, who was said to have learning difficulties,
has been living at the Heywood Sumner House
care home in nearby Fordingbridge. She has not
undergone any physical modifications or taken
medication as part of her gender change.
"I am going to have to remand in custody,
if I were to release on bail there are
substantial grounds to believe she would be
a risk to herself and a risk of failing to
attend for whatever reason," Judge Pearson
said.
"I will therefore have to remand in custody,
it will have to be a male prison in
Winchester but it will be an issue for the
prison service."
Thanking the jury, the judge added: "It’s been a
slightly unusual case and it’s not been an easy
case."
The trial heard that Ayrton had met the teenage
victim, who had run away from home, and two
friends on an evening in autumn 2004 and gone
drinking in a garage which had a sofa and chairs
in it.
The victim described how she screamed and
shouted at Ayrton, who was 23 at the time, to
stop but failed to wake her friend and her
boyfriend who were asleep nearby
The prosecution was brought after a care worker
reported that Ayrton had confessed to the rape in
January 2014, described herself as a “paedophile”
and said she had “always known there was
something wrong with me and I need help".
Ayrton, who has a son, was convicted of
possessing indecent images of children at
Bournemouth crown court in January 2014. A
court officer said the prison had been informed
and protocols put in place for Ayrton’s detention.