A transgender sex attacker preyed on inmates in a women's prison while being held for raping a woman in Manchester.

Karen White was born a man but identifies as a woman. After being charged with raping two women - one in Manchester - and stabbing a 66-year-old neighbour, White was sent to a women's jail.

Within days of arriving at HMP New Hall in Flockton, near Wakefield, last autumn, White sexually assaulted two women prisoners on B Wing - while wearing a wig, makeup and women’s clothing.

Now 52-year-old White, formerly known as David Thompson and Stephen Wood, has been jailed for life - and sent to a men's prison.

Leeds Crown Court heard the serial sex attacker was a 'predatory' and 'manipulative' individual who posed a ‘significant risk of serious harm to children, women and the general public’.

The attack on the woman in Manchester happened while White was living at Birch Lane in Longsight. At the time White was on licence - having been released early from a sentence for molesting a child.

White ended up being arrested after moving on to Mytholmroyd, near Hebden Bridge, where he attacked a 66-year-old neighbour with a steak knife.

The victim was told by White: “I’m going to kill you. If I don’t do it now, you won’t know when or where but I am going to kill you.”

Following arrest for that offence, two women came forward with rape allegations against White - one was raped while pregnant and another was raped repeatedly, causing her internal injuries and the fear she could not have children in the future.

Both women had tried to take their own lives as a result of the rapes.

Karen White has been jailed for life after admitting sexually assaulting two women inmates while being held on remand for raping two other women

White, who was previously called Stephen Wood and David Thompson, had cross dressed in the past but only began gender reassignment after being remanded into custody for that appalling catalogue of offending, the court heard.

While on remand in the women's prison, White approached an inmate in the queue for prisoners to get medication.

Christopher Dunn, prosecuting, said: “The complainant, while waiting, felt something hard press against the small of her back."

The prosecutor said the victim turned around to see White standing there with his private parts 'sticking out of the top of her pants, covered by her tights.'

Another inmate told how she was in the prison workshop when White began making lewd comments. White then grabbed her hand and put it on a breast with the words: “Oh look, they’re not real ones.”

The defendant also made deeply disturbing remarks about children to a probation officer while behind bars.

White was later found guilty of one count of wounding following a trial at Bradford Crown Court, before pleading guilty to three counts of rape against two women and two counts of sexual assault against female inmates.

Prosecutor Christopher Dunn described the defendant as ‘allegedly’ transgender.

“The prosecution say allegedly because there’s smatterings of evidence in this case that the defendant’s approach to transitioning has been less than committed", Mr Dunn added.


White's has previous convictions for indecent exposure, indecent assault and gross indecency committed against a 12-year-old and a nine-year-old boy.

Now in a men’s prison - HMP Leeds in Armley - White has been locked up for life with a minimum of eight years and 116 days to serve.

Judge Christopher Batty told White, who appeared in the dock with shoulder-length blonde hair: “You are a predator and highly manipulative and in my view you are a danger. You represent a significant risk of serious harm to children, to women and to the general public.”
