A convicted transgender paedophile, who has finally been jailed for child pornography offences has complained of the ‘distress’ of being sent to a male prison.

Sophie Carter, 40, from Southsea, Hampshire, changed gender after being caught with indecent images of children.

Despite being a man known as Dominic at the time of his arrest – in which Carter is said to have ‘wrestled’ with police – the defendant appeared in court in August 2023 dressed in a pink T-shirt, pink shorts and wearing pink nail varnish, while going by the name Sophie.

Carter, who formerly worked as a tree surgeon, was found to be in possession of 11 indecent photographs of children discovered on two phones that were seized.

Two were Category A images, the most severe kind, with a further three being Category B and six classified as Category C. 

After admitting three counts of making indecent images of children in April 2021, Carter was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

In addition to this, Carter was told to complete 60 hours of rehabilitation activity requirement sessions and 120 hours of unpaid work. 

But Carter has since appeared in court a further four times after flouting the conditions of the suspended sentence – and has now been jailed for six months.

Eve Shelley, defending, told Southampton Crown Court that Carter is being held in custody at HMP Winchester, which is a Category B men’s prison.

She said: ‘There are additional difficulties in terms of this particular defendant being kept in that male environment and that is something that is causing some distress and concern to her.’

At the hearing – where Carter was referred to using female pronouns – the court heard that the trans woman failed to attend appointments with probation and did not tell police of a change of address.

Carter was said to be living a ‘chaotic’ lifestyle after being convicted and had been made homeless.

The police found Carter was no longer staying at the address which had previously been registered after the paedophile called the authorities and pretended to have been kidnapped.

Hannah Douglas, prosecuting, said it emerged that Carter had changed addresses when they pretended to have been kidnapped and made a call to authorities.

Ms Douglas told the hearing: ‘Ms Carter had sent a message so say that they had been kidnapped and held hostage… and demanded £140 to be released into a bank account.’

The prosecutor said police spoke to Carter throughout the day until they eventually arrested the defendant.

Ms Douglas said: ‘It was found she failed to comply with notification requirements having left her registered address. We say it’s a deliberate breach.’

The court heard Carter also failed to comply with a suspended sentence order and community order which had been imposed after the 2023 conviction.

This relates to the failure to attend appointments with probation earlier this year.

Carter pleaded guilty to all three offences.

Ms Shelley, mitigating, told the court that Carter failed to attend the appointments after the defendant had been kicked out of their parents house.

She said Carter was ‘street homeless’ and had been ‘assaulted herself’.

Ms Shelley added: ‘That particular chaotic lifestyle made them disengage with probation.

‘This defendant has been remanded in custody since the first of April this year and has used the time in custody in a positive way.

‘They are now no longer using illicit drugs.

‘This defendant has expressed to me an understating that upon receiving a sentence of immediate custody… that it is an opportunity to use that time positively.’

Judge Nicholas Rowland sentenced Carter to six months in prison.

He said: ‘Sophie Carter… I have no choice but to impose an immediate custody sentence.

‘I appreciate that your lifestyle is chaotic.

‘That last thing I want to do is to have to send you to prison for these offences.

‘I have given full credit for your plea.

‘I have much hope that now this slate is wiped clean that there won’t be another one in the future.

‘You need to sort this out otherwise you will go to prison for longer and longer periods.’