Man guilty of sexually assaulting a child claimed jury were hypnotised

A man who sexually assaulted a child before changing his name to "Natalie" and dressing as a woman claimed the jury returned a guilty verdict because they had been hypnotised.

- by Karon Kelly

Natalie Wolf, who was previously known as Ryan Haley, was addressed by the victim in court, who said "he" would always be a man to her.

The defendant, now 47, groped the young teen and left her, fearing she would be raped in a sickening attack.

Newcastle Crown Court heard she stayed silent about the terrifying ordeal that happened in Washington, but found the courage to report what happened when she became an adult.

Wolf, now of Shipley Walk, Byker, Newcastle, denied sexual activity with a child but was convicted by a jury after a trial and has now been jailed for three-and-a-half years with lifelong sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

Wolf claims the conviction was a result of a conspiracy that involved the jury, police and lawyers being "hypnotised".