Transgender rape accused is ‘vulnerable’ and not ‘predatory male’, court told

A transgender woman accused of rape was “in no way a predatory male”, her lawyers have said. But prosecutors insist Isla Bryson, who is alleged to have raped two women:

one in Clydebank in 2016; and one in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in 2019; “preyed” on vulnerable women. A court previously heard in agreed evidence that Bryson identifies as a

transgender woman, but was previously known by the “dead name” Adam Graham. 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. 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 chargesEdward

Targowski, defending 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 about 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.”