Transgender woman Ciara Watkin convicted of sexual assault for concealing gender from date
A transgender woman has been found guilty of sexual assault for hiding her male genitalia from a man she had been on a date with.
Ciara Watkin, 21, spent a night with a man she met and communicated with on Snapchat, a court heard. Watkin performed sex acts on the man at a home in Thornaby, Yorkshire, several years ago but did not allow him to touch her. Watkin hid the fact that she had male genitalia and later messaged the man to inform him she was transgender.
In the messages, Watkin stated she had a "massive secret" to share, before revealing: "I’m trans. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you." The man then reported Watkin to the police.
Watkin was found guilty today of two charges of sexual assault and one charge of assault by penetration. She is scheduled to be sentenced on October 10.
During a police interview played in court, the victim said: "Throughout, she made it out that she was fully a girl." He explained that the two had been drinking and chatting before deciding to go into the bedroom, "which is when everything happened".
He said: "Throughout the entire time, she was telling me she was on her period. As far as I was concerned, she was a female."
Sarah Nelson, Senior Crown Prosecutor at CPS North East, stated: "It is clear from the evidence in this case that, prior to engaging in sexual activity, Watkin had not attempted to inform the victim of her transgender status.
"The Crown Prosecution Service has demonstrated that, due to failure to disclose this information to him, he was unable to give informed consent to the sexual activity.
"The victim has made it clear in the police interview that he would not have engaged in sexual activity had he known that Watkin was transgender, and as a result, these events have significantly impacted his mental wellbeing.
"We hope that he can find some solace in seeing Watkin convicted for these serious sexual offences today."
During the police interview played in court, when asked about his feelings regarding the incident, the victim replied: "It makes me feel like it’s taken away my manhood. I see it as something that upsets me. I’m just trying to hide my emotions. Initially, I had an emotional breakdown."
The court heard, from the man’s testimony, that Watkin asked him to enter the bathroom while using the toilet and requested for the light to be turned off so it was "pitch black". The jury heard that Watkin moved his hand away from her breast and thigh.
Victoria Lamballe, representing Watkin, indicated that the 21-year-old has not undergone gender reassignment surgery and had stuffed clothing in her bra. It was noted in court that Watkin informed the man over the phone about being transgender after their meeting.
The pair met again at his home, and the victim’s mother suspected Watkin was trans but did not mention it to her son, the court learned. His friends also suspected Watkin was trans, the jury was told.
Watkin acknowledged her transgender identity over the phone to the man sometime after their meeting and told police she realized that if the man knew she was trans, the relationship would have ended.
The judge stated today: "Ciara Watkin made full admissions in her interviews with the police. It is evident she did not intend to deceive him regarding her true gender. That was done to facilitate sexual relations with him."
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