Trans woman given suspended sentence after judge says she would be vulnerable in jail
A trans woman convicted of harassing her neighbour for years will not be sent to prison because a judge said she would have to be kept in solitary confinement for her own safety.
Jan Krause, 46, waged an “obsessed” campaign against her neighbour Carol Story, 53, for six years, a court heard.
According to the Daily Telegraph, she recorded Ms Story’s family’s movements, taking pictures and keeping a diary of what time the family showered and opened their curtains.
Krause, of Hartford, near Northwich, Cheshire, deliberately smashed into a family friend’s car and called armed police to her neighbour’s property at 3am because the family had a James Bond-themed party with toy guns.
She also mounted a device on her roof which emitted a high-pitched whine towards Ms Story’s property for almost a year and blew whistles when Ms Story left her home.
Krause denied any wrongdoing but was found guilty of harassment in June.
In her defence, she claimed she was on a “war footing” with the family because their “noisy” central heating and bright security light were blighting her home.
Judge Nicholas Sanders heard from Krause’s defence lawyer Richard Thomas that she would be in danger if jailed and there was confusion over whether she would be placed in a male or female facility.
Judge Sanders said he would prefer to impose a custodial sentence on Krause but accepted that her sentence would be more severe than any other prisoner’s because of her trans status.
He said: “What I’d prefer is a custodial sentence today, but having said that it is quite clear, and the point Mr Thomas makes is quite right, that you are a particularly vulnerable person in a prison environment.
“For that reason, and that reason alone, I propose a suspended sentence today.”
Krause was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. She was also given a restraining order, 120 hours of community service and a curfew.
In July, a trans woman convicted of downloading indecent images of children avoided jail after a judge said it would be an “appalling experience” for her.
Laura Voyce, 20, of Kirkby, Merseyside, had downloaded the images for “perverted sexual gratification”, Judge Lesley Newton said.
She faced nine months prison but was given a nine-month jail term, suspended for a year, and 100 hours of unpaid community work.
