Three murderers who were born male continue to live among vulnerable female inmates despite the Scottish Prison Service’s new transgender guidance.
“Female-identifying” killers have not been removed from female-only custody units because, feminist activists say, they “murdered men” rather than women.
Scottish Prison Service (SPS) guidance, published after the case of trans rapist Isla Bryson, states that a transgender person cannot be considered for admission or transfer to a women’s prison if they have a history of violence against women and girls .
Feminist activists fear that trans people whose victims were men will be left out of the reach of this policy and that Paris Green, Melissa Young and Alex Stewart – all violent transgender prisoners – will continue to enjoy the benefits of softer female prisons. All of his victims were men.
Paris Green, formerly Peter Laing, was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in 2013 for the murder of Robert Shankland, 45, in Glenrothes, Fife.
Paris Green (pictured), formerly Peter Laing, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years in 2013 for the murder of Robert Shankland, 45, in Glenrothes, Fife.
Alex Stewart (pictured), formerly Alan Baker, was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 for murdering John Weir in Bonhill, Dunbartonshire.
Melissa Young (pictured), once known as Richard McCabe, murdered Edinburgh resident Alan Williamson on Christmas Day 2013.
Melissa Young, once known as Richard McCabe, murdered Edinburgh resident Alan Williamson on Christmas Day 2013, while Alex Stewart, formerly Alan Baker, was jailed for life in 2013 for murdering John Weir in Bonhill, Dunbartonshire.
Kate Coleman of Keep Prisons Single Sex said: ‘These murderers are free to stay in women’s prisons because their victims were men.
‘That three violent criminals remain on the women’s farm is shocking. We can only guess how many more may be detained with women, as the SPS refuses to reveal this information. This policy is clearly not fit for purpose. It goes against civil society that the safety and well-being of women in prison are so completely and callously ignored.’
Alba party leader at Holyrood, MP Ash Regan (pictured), who resigned from her SNP cabinet position over the party’s stance on gender reforms, said: “No woman should be housed in prison with violent men.”
MSP Ash Regan, Alba party leader at Holyrood – who resigned from her SNP cabinet position over the party’s stance on gender reforms – said: “No woman should be housed in prison with violent men. The SPS and the Scottish Government should reconsider this dangerous and ill-considered policy.’
SPS’s transgender guidance, released in December and in full effect as of February, was issued following a dispute over Bryson’s initial sending to an all-female prison after sentencing. Bryson was later moved to a male wing of a prison.
The Policy for the Management of Transgender Persons in Custody (2023) states that “a transgender woman shall not be eligible to be considered for admission or transfer to a women’s prison” if she has been convicted of or determined to have committed “any offense that perpetrates violence against a woman that results in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering.”
The SPS said its policy aims to protect “the health, safety and wellbeing of all people in Scotland’s prisons” and that a transgender person should be considered “on an individual basis where possible”. However, feminist activists have raised concerns that transgender prisoners could be transferred to a women’s prison if a risk management panel decides that they “do not present an unacceptable risk of harm to those in the women’s prison.”
Green remains in a female unit. Together with two accomplices, Green lured Mr Shankland to an apartment and beat him to death.
Young fatally stabbed Mr Williamson in what a judge called a “cruel and evil attack”, while Stewart was jailed after stabbing father-of-two Mr Weir, whom he met on a gay dating app.
An SPS spokesperson said: ‘We will carefully consider a number of factors, including criminal history, with particular attention to violence against women and girls, when assessing risk. “We do not comment on individuals.”