Trans woman guilty of sexual assault

A TRANS woman has been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

- By ESTHER HALLIGAN

The jury at Teesside Crown Court took just 75 minutes to reach the verdicts, which were found on the basis that Ciara Watkin failed to disclose the now 21-year-old's biological sex.

Watkin identified and dressed as a woman but was born male.

The now registered sex offender met a man on Snapchat where Watkin used a female cartoon profile picture.

The two met up for the first time, two weeks after they started messaging, outside Stockton's Salvation Army "in broad daylight".

The man said he had no idea that his date was biologically male.

Watkin had messaged the man in advance talking about being "on my period".

When they went to bed, after a few hours of chatting and drinking, Watkin moved the man's hands away from the accused's thigh and chest.