Trans killer who identifies as a baby says she wouldn’t survive in men’s jail
'I have no history of gender violence,' Sophie Eastwood said. 'I don't think I could survive in the male estate.'
A transgender inmate has said she would be at risk of sexual violence if she was transferred to a male prison.
Sophie Eastwood transitioned from male to female after being jailed for life in 2004, and is currently at a female-only prison in Scotland.
The 38-year-old was dubbed ‘Hannibal Lecter Junior’ after she used shoelaces as a garotte to strangle her cellmate – a month before she was due to be freed from a young offenders’ institution for dangerous driving.
She now identifies as a baby and has asked prison guards to supply her nappies, blended food and hold her hand when she is escorted from the cell.
‘The main threat was that I would suffer serious sexual violence,’ she told the Daily Record. ‘I think Scottish Prison Service staff manage trans prisoners well but it would be impossible for me to feel safe in a male prison.’
‘I have no history of gender violence,’ she added. ‘I believe I’m in the right place and don’t think I could survive in the male estate.’
Her comments come amid a heated political dispute over transgender inmates in Scotland, which erupted after convicted rapist Isla Bryson was put in a women’s prison.
It embroiled First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in controversy as the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) announced a full case review for every trans-prisoner in custody.
Critics say transgender prisoners with male genitals pose a risk to female inmates, while defenders say they are more vulnerable in male-only facilities.
Eastwood shared facilities with Bryson in Cornton Vale, and said Bryon had ‘exploited the system’ and made ‘genuine trans prisoners less safe’.
‘It’s really unfortunate because the public’s view of trans people generally has now been damaged but not by the behaviour of any trans person,’ she added.
It is understood prison bosses are treating Eastwood’s baby demands seriously, although a SPS source claimed she had been a ‘difficult and manipulative’ prisoner over the years.
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