Man found guilty of raping trans woman
A Welsh man has been found guilty for raping a trans woman earlier this year.
Kiron Singh Chand, 20, of Pottery Place, Llannelli, forced his victim to perform oral sex on him and beat her.
He denied rape but admitted causing actual bodily harm. Yesterday, a jury at Swansea crown court unanimously found him guilty of the sex attack.
The prosecution described the complainant as “vulnerable”, saying she was to undergo gender reassignment surgery shortly. She has changed her name and was referred to as a woman throughout the trial.
The court heard that the woman had been on a night out with friends in Swansea on April 13th and had ended up in Llanelli town centre.
She was approached by the defendant at 4am in a lane, prosecutor John Hipkin said. The court heard a conversation took place but then Chand allegedly ordered her to perform oral sex on him.
When she refused, he began punching her and pushed her to the ground where he forced her to perform oral sex.
She said she then managed to run off, leaving her bag on the ground.
When first questioned, Chand denied having met the complainant or having a conversation with her.
After being positively identified, he changed his account, saying she had offered him oral sex and then hit her when she put her tongue in his mouth.
When forensic evidence showed traces of semen in her mouth which matched his DNA, Chand said he could not remember her performing oral sex although thought his trousers may have come undone. He added that she must have performed the act of her own free will.
In court he said he allowed her to perform oral sex on him but began beating her when he realised she was a trans woman.
According to the South Wales Evening Post, he told the jury: “My religious beliefs don’t allow for a male to have sex with another male. I have three older brothers and I was embarrassed that I had let another male perform oral sex on me. I did not want anybody to think I was gay or anything.”
Chand will be sentenced later this month.
