Peter Selby 71

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A trans-identified pedophile has avoided prison for a second time because of his “identity,” despite breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that was in place due to his previous child sex offenses.

Peter Selby, 71, first appeared in court in June of 2022 and was found guilty on three counts of making indecent images of children, and one count of possessing extreme pornography. The sex offender had a stash of 125,000 disturbing child sexual abuse images and videos on his computer, some of which featured children as young as three-years-old, and at least one featuring an adult engaging in bestaility. He had previously been sent to prison for four months in 1992, after being convicted on two counts of indecent assault.

Despite the fact that the judge at the time could have sentenced him to a maximum of 10 years in prison for his crimes, he instead received a slap on the wrist sentence of just 14 months, to be suspended for two years. The judge claimed that if Selby, who identified as transgender, was put in prison, the “impact of custody would be significant” for him, thus she determined he was safer living in the community, where he was determined by a pre-sentencing report to be “manageable.”

Along with his suspended sentence, Selby was placed on the sex offenders register and made to sign a SHPO, stopping him from using any in-private browsing on his computer, or downloading VPN software that could hide his crimes, for the next 10 years. The lenient sentence prompted outrage at the time, prompting Conservative peer Baroness Nicholson to call for a review. She condemned the decision as representative of a “disregard” for child safety and speculated whether the judge had “overlooked” matters of child protection. Despite the uproar, Selby’s sentence remained suspended.

But less than a year later, in March of 2023, police visited Selby’s home to conduct a risk review, and discovered that Selby had downloaded VPN software intended to conceal his internet activity. Selby pled guilty to a breach of his SHPO, and appeared in front of Judge Robert Adams, wearing lipstick and with visible fake breasts, at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday.

Selby claimed that he had health difficulties, including problems with his memory, and told the court that he had no memory of downloading the VPN software to his laptop. No new child sexual abuse images were discovered on his laptop.

“A VPN had been downloaded, which was active and could be used to mask internet identity or IP address when accessing sites on the internet,” Judge Adams said. “For obvious reasons, bearing in mind your previous convictions, that was a requirement of the SHPO, to make it difficult, if you were tempted, to re-offend in the way you had before.”

Even though Adams found he breached the SHPO, Selby’s transgender status enabled him to stay out of custody again.

“You have been wearing women’s clothing for the last 30 years,” Adams said. “Your family has distanced themselves from you as a result. You have no history of drug use and no drinking since 2013,” he continued. Because Selby had not offended again in the last two years, and that he would “undoubtedly be at risk of physical or sexual assault in custody because of [his] presentation in a male prison,” he got off with a 10 month sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with a £100 fine and rehabilitation program requirements.

This is not the first time a trans-identified male pedophile has been allowed to walk free in the United Kingdom.

As previously reported by Reduxx, a trans-identified male who was convicted of possessing horrific child abuse material, some of which was in the most severe classification, was spared jail time after the court stated he was “cooperative” during proceedings. Tanya Howes, 66, was allowed to walk free despite living adjacent to a children’s park.

Howes pleaded guilty in May of 2023 to three counts of “possessing indecent photographs of a child” and a separate charge for possessing 100 “extreme” and “grossly offensive” pornographic images and videos. Of the images in Howes’ possession, 29 were classified as Category C, 17 as Category B, and 39 as Category A, which is the most serious type of child sexual abuse media. Images and video in this category can depict penetrative sexual activity, bestiality, and/or sexual sadism.

The Eastern Daily Press, which referred to Howes by “she/her” pronouns, reported that the Norwich Magistrates Court acknowledged that some of the children in the photos possessed by Howes were being subjected to “horrific acts.”

Despite the severity of the crime, the magistrates decided to allow Howes to remain free in the community as they handed him a 12 month suspended jail term.