Tuesday 27 September 2022 11:23 PM Sussex Police issue humiliating apology after Home Secretary blasted them for ... trends now
Sally Ann Dixon, 58, was found guilty on 30 charges relating to historic child sexual abuse
Sussex Police released a humiliating apology for defending the gender of a legally male paedophile online, after the Home Secretary said the force should be focusing on 'catching criminals' not 'policing pronouns'.
Suella Braverman waded into the Twitter storm after the force said they 'would not tolerate' any hateful comments towards the gender identity of convicted paedophile Sally Ann Dixon, 58.
Dixon, who was born John Stephen Dixon, was convicted of 30 counts of indecent assaulted which took place in the late 1980s and 1990s before she transitioned.
The youngest of Dixon’s victims was just seven years old at the time.
She was given an 18-year custodial sentence, with an additional two years to be served on extended licence.
Sussex Police tweeted that they: 'do not tolerate any hateful comments towards their gender identity regardless of crimes committed. This is irrelevant to the crime that has been committed and investigated.'
Ms Braverman MP piled in saying: 'Sussex Police have done well to put a dangerous criminal behind bars. But they’ve got it wrong by playing identity politics and denying biology. Focus on catching criminals not policing pronouns'
Several hours later the force issued an apology saying their previous tweet was 'inconsistent' with their usual style and emphasised the public are allowed to 'express themselves freely within the boundaries of the law'.
The tweet read: 'On Monday, 26 September 2022 we reported on the conviction of a sexual predator for historic sex offences in Sussex.
The court sentenced Sally Anne Dixon as a woman to 20 years in prison for offences committed against seven children, now adults.
'We reported factually on the findings of the court which heard that, at the time of the offences, Dixon was living as a man, John Stephen Dixon. The relevant offences were recorded as being committed by a male.
'An earlier reply to a comment on Twitter was inconsistent with our usual style of engagement; we apologise for this and have removed the comment. We recognise the rights of the public to express themselves freely within the boundaries of the law.'
Sussex Police hit out at criticism it shouldn't be referring the crimes as being done by a woman
Home Secretary Suella Braverman responded to the police force online, telling them to not focus on 'policing pronouns'
Several hours later, Sussex Police deleted the tweet and issued a humiliating apology
The court trying Dixon heard there was no Gender Recognition Certificate changing their sex
Maya Forstater has now called for a review of the justice system on speaking truthfully on sex
A women's rights campaigner has called for a review into the justice system after Sussex Police defended a legally male transgender paedophile by declaring it would not 'tolerate any hateful comments about gender'.
Maya Forstater, who famously won a test case ruling gender-critical views were a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act, said it was a fact that Dixon was male.
She told MailOnline: 'It is not 'hateful' or criminal to call someone male a man. It is a simple statement of fact. The paedophile who committed these crimes, like 98% of those who undertake sex crimes was and remains male
'There needs to be a review up and down the justice system from the police to CPS to courts and prison system to record and speak truthfully about sex.'
Sussex Police told another women's rights campaigner Dixon should not be misgendered.
And in another heavily-criticised point, it claimed the sex of the convicted offender was not part of the series of attacks that had been carried out.
The court trying Dixon had
