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A BEARDED paedophile has started a secret new life as a woman after transitioning while serving time in a Scottish jail.
Christopher Noble, 32, transitioned to Christyl Knight while behind bars for keeping a stash of over 4,000 vile pictures and videos of kids as young as six months old.
The con is desperate for a fresh start but child protection expert Claude Knights said: Allowing these individuals to hide a secret past is a dangerous practice.
And an outraged mum whose son was murdered by a paedo has demanded a legal change over perv Christyl Knights new life as a female.
Campaigner Margaret-Ann Cummings, 43, insisted sex offenders should be forced to keep the identities they are jailed for.
Her son Mark, eight, was was killed by convicted sex offender Stuart Leggate, 42, in 2004.
She said: Authorities shouldnt let paedophiles rewrite history. They should have to keep their identities intact while theyre still on the register.
"Where does this end? Will sex offenders soon be getting treatment on the NHS to change the way they look?
She added: Its not unusual for sex offenders to want a new identity but this is the most disturbing case Ive heard of.
"When someone, so soon after getting out of jail, is trying to change not just their name but their sex and appearance too, it sounds like theyre trying to hide rather than reform.
Echoing her calls, child protection expert Claude Knights said: Anyone whos fuelled the vile trade in indecent images of children and therefore contributed to their sexual abuse should not be allowed to change their name.
The Scottish Sun traced Knight to a flat in Aberdeen where she moaned her life had been a misery in tough Grampian nick, Peterhead.
And she insisted her transition is not a ploy to hide her vile past. She said: I cant help being transgender. Ive realised since I was about 13.
"To start the process in jail was...you wouldnt believe the s*** I had to put up with.
I was in a male hall behind my door 24/7 for four months.
Do you honestly think someone would want to change sex just to hide a conviction? Its a long, hard process.
Its understood she appears on the sex offender list as Christyl.
She lives alone and claims she doesnt talk to anyone under strict rules of her early release.
And she revealed the licence which forces her to sign in at a cop shop ends this week.
She was nicked in the citys Torry in July 2015 after a tip-off from the National Online Child Abuse Agency.
Cops found 4,224 indecent photos and 11 explicit videos of kids under 13 on a laptop, mobile and USB in the home.
A computer showed a live web chat discussing the sharing of children.
The then-bearded pervert admitted downloading and distributing 2,000 vile pics and was caged for 21 months in 2016.
Christyl, who was recently made bankrupt over nearly 19,000 of debt, added: Ive lost everything. I regret it. Im moving on with my life.
James Morton, of the Scottish Transgender Alliance, said: Our understanding is that transitioning does not erase your past if youre a sex offender.
"You have to give your new name to police. Trans people usually encounter greater suspicion. I dont think it helps people blend in.
The Scottish Prison Service does not comment on individual prisoners but said cons are dealt with according to their gender when theyre jailed.