Man charged after trans rapist Isla Bryson alleges ‘abuse’ in prison

Bryson, from Clydebank, carried out the attacks in 2016 and 2019 while living as a man.

In a letter sent to the Sunday Mail, Bryson, who is in prison in Edinburgh, claimed: “I’m not doing too good because of abuse from the staff members, all because I am transgender, and other prisoners too.

“This jail is full of transphobic people. The police are involved because of the abuse to do with my gender. People won’t stop being transphobic.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 11am on Thursday 8 June 2023, we received a report of a hate crime at HMP Edinburgh.

“A 24-year-old man has been charged in connection with threatening and abusive behaviour. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Bryson’s case sparked outrage after the rapist was initially kept in an all-female prison, forcing an intervention from the Scottish Government.

The then first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, told MSPs that “this prisoner will not be incarcerated at Cornton Vale women’s prison”, with Bryson, who was born Adam Graham, moved to the male prison estate.

Ms Sturgeon made clear at the time that there is “no automatic right for a trans woman convicted of a crime to serve their sentence in a female prison”.

Speaking in February she said that each case is “subject to rigorous individual risk assessment” in which the “safety of other prisoners is paramount”.

Afterwards it was announced that the Scottish Prison Service was carrying out a review of management of trans prisoners as part of its gender identity and gender reassignment policy review.

The Scottish Government confirmed in February that until the review and other work is complete, no transgender person in prison who has a history of violence against women will be moved from a male prison to the female prison estate.

In addition, newly convicted or remanded transgender prisoners will initially be placed in a prison in line with their sex at birth, it said.