Transgender Scottish murderer Sophie Eastwood, who identifies as a baby and demanded infant food and a dummy behind bars, is moved from women’s prison to men’s jail
- Eastwood is serving a life sentence for strangling her cellmate with shoelaces
- The 38-year-old was born Daniel but began transitioning to a woman in 2017
- She has claimed she will be at risk of sexual violence in a male prison
A trans killer who identifies as a baby and demands infant food and dummies has been moved to an all-male jail after several years at a women’s prison.
Sophie Eastwood – who was born Daniel – is serving a life sentence after strangling cellmate Paul Algie, 22, with shoelaces at Dumfries Young Offenders Institute in Scotland.
Eastwood, now 38, began transitioning while in prison in 2017 and was later granted a switch to Cornton Vale, a women’s prison that has been at the centre of a row over its housing of trans convicts.
Her case has attracted attention due to a series of unconventional demands she has made behind bars, including requests for dummies, nappies and infant food as she now identifies as a baby.
As part of a comprehensive review of trans criminals’ living arrangements, Eastwood has been moved from the women’s lockup to HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire – a maximum security prison capable of holding more than 550 of Scotland’s most dangerous criminals.
Sophie Eastwood, 38, is serving a life sentence after killing her cellmate at a young offenders’ institution in Scotland. She was born a man but began transitioning behind bars
Eastwood – seen here while living as Daniel – was one month away from being released after being convicted of dangerous driving when she killed cellmate Paul Algie. She has served her minimum term of 15 years but has not yet been considered for release
She has previously claimed that she would be at risk of sexual violence if she was transferred to a male jail.
A source told the Scottish Sun of the move: ‘This is a big move as Eastwood will be one of the first trans prisoners moved to a male jail.
‘Eastwood is a danger to the female population and should be housed with men.
‘Eastwood even identified as a baby and demanded baby food and a dummy – that is just taking the p***.
‘To say Eastwood isn’t happy about the switch is an understatement.’
READ MORE: Killer who has changed from male to female now says she identifies as a baby and demands nappies, baby food and a dummy in her prison cell
Eastwood served her 15 year minimum term for killing her cellmate as of 2019 – but has not yet been considered for release. She had been one month away from release on a dangerous driving conviction when she strangled Algie.
Earlier this year, she told the Daily Record that any move to a male prison would put her at risk – and that she ‘deeply regretted’ strangling her cellmate.
She said: ‘I was threatened by other prisoners in the male estate when I started to transition and the main threat was that I would suffer serious sexual violence.
‘It was a relief to be moved to the female estate where I have felt safe and I’ve gained the trust of fellow prisoners.
‘I think Scottish Prison Service staff manage trans prisoners well but it would be impossible for me to feel safe in a male prison.’
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘We do not comment on individuals.
‘All trans men and trans women in our care are accommodated in a way which meets the risks and needs of them as individuals, and others in the establishment.’
Scots prison bosses announced a comprehensive review of trans convicts’ arrangements after trans rapist Isla Bryson was controversially initially housed among female prisoners Cornton Vale, in Stirling.
Bryson, who was born a man called Adam Graham, is serving an eight-year sentence after being convicted in February this year of raping two women in 2016 and 2019.
Sophie Eastwood had been serving her sentence at HMP Cornton Vale (left) near Stirling. But a comprehensive review of trans prisoners’ arrangements have seen her kicked out and moved to HMP Shotts (right), a maximum security prison
The case of double rapist Isla Bryson (left) sparked a review of trans prisoner arrangements in Scotland. Bryson, who was charged as a man called Adam Graham (right), began transitioning while awaiting trial and is now serving an eight year sentence
She began transitioning ahead of her trial and was moved from Cornton Vale to HMP Edinburgh earlier this year following an outcry.
But during the race to be elected Scotland’s new First Minister, Humza Yousaf accused Bryson of not being a ‘genuine trans woman’, and said she was ‘trying to play the system’.
Yousaf, who served as Scottish justice secretary and health secretary before succeeding Nicola Sturgeon in the top job, said during an SNP leadership debate broadcast on the BBC: ‘What we should never do is because we have a despicable individual like Isla Bryson who plays the system, we shouldn’t roll back the rights of 99.9 per cent of trans women who commit no crime whatsoever.’
Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said: ‘The sending of a rapist to a woman’s prisons exposed the dangerous reality of the SNP’s gender self-ID agenda – and rightly forced a review of trans prisoners.
‘Prison staff will have assessed all factors, especially the safety of vulnerable female inmates, before deciding on this transfer.’
Attempts by Ms Sturgeon to force through new laws on self-ID, allowing children to identify as their preferred gender from the age of 16 with no medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, were blocked by Rishi Sunak’s government in January.
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