Isla Bryson: A transgender rapist has moved into a male prison in Scotland

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A transgender woman convicted of raping two women has been transferred to a men’s prison, hours after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would no longer be held in Scotland’s only women-only prison.

The Scottish First Minister has addressed the row over where Isla Bryson, 31, of Clydebank, should be jailed after being found guilty of two rapes while she was a man.

Bryson was transferred to Corinton Valley Women’s Prison in Stirling after her conviction on Tuesday. The transfer to the men’s prison was expected to be completed on Thursday.

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon said a risk assessment was being carried out by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), but stressed that Bryson would not be housed in Cornetton Vale.

She said: “It would not be appropriate for me, for any prisoner, to give details of where they are being held.

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“But given the understandable public and Parliamentary concern in this case, I can assure Parliament that this prisoner will not be confined to Cornetton Valley Women’s Prison.

“I hope this will provide assurance to the public.”

The issue was raised by Scottish Conservative Party leader Douglas Ross, who questioned why Bryson was initially placed in the women-only prison after being remanded in custody before sentencing.

The entrance to Corinton Valley Prison, near Stirling

/ PA

Describing Bresson as a “monster”, Ross said: “This double rapist only decided to change his sex after being charged by the police.

“It took the threat of prison for this criminal to decide to change his gender. This is no accident, this is a conscious decision.

“We think it’s wrong to send a rapist to a women’s prison. We think the rapist’s access to a woman’s one-sex space is a threat.”

Ms Sturgeon said: “In the short or long term, this prisoner will not be in Corinton Valley.

“But it is important that the Scottish Prison Service is operationally allowed to implement the decisions they have made.”

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “SPS decisions as to the most appropriate site to accommodate transgender people are made on an individual basis, based on a multidisciplinary assessment of both risk and need.

“Such decisions seek to protect the well-being and rights of the individual as well as the well-being and rights of others around them, including employees, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risk and enhances the safety of all, and this is exactly what happened in this case.”

Speaking to reporters later, the first minister said the government had not given “formal guidance” to the prison service as to where Brisson should be imprisoned.

She added: “In all cases where a risk assessment is undertaken, the Prisons Service will not necessarily wait until completion if there are reasons to make a different decision on where to house the prisoner.

“This single case is not about whether they are trans or not, in this single case this is the person who has been convicted of rape, so this person is a rapist and a sex offender and that is what counts.”

Briefing the media after the first minister’s questions, a spokesperson for Mrs Sturgeon said her view of Bryson had been conveyed to the Prison Service through officials, but that it would be wrong to say her opinion had changed the decision to ban the prisoner from Corinton. Vale.

The spokesman did not say whether it was now Scottish government policy to prevent all rapists from entering women’s prisons.

Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham, was found guilty on Tuesday of raping a woman in Clydebank in 2016 and another in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019, following a trial in Glasgow High Court.

His estranged wife, Shauna Graham, 31, has alleged that her ex-partner’s move was an “attention ploy” and that she is trying to deceive the authorities.

“Not once did he say anything to me about how he felt he was in the wrong body or anything,” Ms Graham told the Daily Mail.

“I can understand why he wouldn’t want to be in a prison with a lot of big scary guys, so he devised this ploy to get a much easier sentence.”

During the court proceedings, Bryson alleged that she knew she was transgender at the age of four but did not decide to transition until she was 29. She is currently taking hormones and is seeking surgery to complete her gender reassignment. Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday her sentence is at the only women-only prison in Scotland.

The Scottish First Minister has spoken out as the row continues over the whereabouts of Isla Bryson, who was convicted earlier this week of raping two women when she was a man, was imprisoned.

Bryson was locked up in Corinton Vale Women’s Prison near Stirling while she awaited sentencing after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Speaking at the First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that a risk assessment was being carried out by the Scottish Prison Service, stressing that Bryson would not be held in Cornton Vale.

Ms Sturgeon said: “It would not be appropriate for me in relation to any prisoner to give details of where they are being held.

“But given the understandable public and Parliamentary concern in this case, I can assure Parliament that this prisoner will not be confined to Cornetton Valley Women’s Prison.

“I hope this will provide assurance to the public.”

Bryson, formerly known as Adam Graham, was found guilty on Tuesday of raping a woman in Clydebank in 2016 and another in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019.

His estranged wife, Shauna Graham, 31, has claimed her decision to change sex was “bogus”.

Ms Graham said she has “a lot of sympathy” for transgender people, but that her ex-partner is trying to deceive the authorities.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘Not once did he say anything to me about how he felt like he was in the wrong body or anything.

“I have a lot of sympathy for real trans people, it’s hard to get along with them, but it’s just bullshit for the authorities.”

Ms Graham said she “fell out of bed laughing” when she saw pictures of Bryson and claimed her transmission was an “attention trick”.

She also accused Bryson of being abusive in their relationship.

During the court proceedings, Bryson alleged that she knew she was transgender at the age of four but did not make the decision to transition until she was 29, and is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete her sex reassignment.

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