Transgender 'rapist' accused of attacking women before transitioning is ... trends now
A transgender rapist accused of attacking two women before she transition is now 'vulnerable' was 'in no way a predatory male', the court has heard.
Prosecutors insist Isla Bryson, who is alleged to have raped two women, 'preyed' on vulnerable women before she began transitioning.
The assaults account for one in Clydebank in 2016, and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019.
A court previously heard in agreed evidence that Bryson identifies as a transgender woman, but was previously known by the 'dead name' Adam Graham.
Isla Bryson, 31, is alleged to have raped two women, 'preyed' on vulnerable women before she began transitioning
Giving evidence herself, Bryson, 31, told the court that she knew she was transgender at the age of four but did not make the decision to transition until she was 29, and is currently taking hormones and seeking surgery to complete gender reassignment.
She said in 2016 she was 'struggling with my sexuality and having issues emotionally'.
Defending at the High Court in Glasgow, Edward Targowski KC, described the three main witnesses in the trial as 'vulnerable', adding: 'And that includes Isla Bryson.'
He spoke of how Bryson met the women, on separate occasions, via the internet, saying how they 'are not the sort of people who go to pubs to socialise'.
He told the jury: 'All witnesses used social media to find companionship, they use social media to make connections.'
Mr Targowski spoke about Bryson's gender, saying: 'She is transitioning from male to female gender.
'If you accept that evidence, that she is transitioning, that she is aiming to continue on that path to becoming female gender, that goes a long way to acquitting her of these
