O’Brien, who identifies as trans, was handed a sentence of four years and three months for his part in the co-ordinated rape of a toddler – an outrageously short sentence for such a horrendous crime. He exchanged over 1,800 messages with Jonathan Walker, sharing their depraved, paedophilic interests. Walker abused the boy under O’Brien’s direction and the pair shared images of the assault with other paedophiles online. The crimes were horrific and the suffering of the victim was heartbreaking. The public clearly deserves to know who was really behind this awful crime.

Yet GMP have effectively deceived the public not only on social media, but also in the quotes offered to the press. Detective inspector Zoe Marsden, of GMP’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, inaccurately described O’Brien as a ‘predatory female’. This blatant lie was shared in reports by numerous outlets from the BBC to local newspapers, where no mention was made of the fact that O’Brien is a biological male. …

Those investigating and reporting on crimes should remember that their duty is to the truth, not to sparing the feelings of depraved paedophiles.

[This is a serious issue in the UK and the US. We are prioritizing the feelings of violent offenders over the safety of other inmates and potential victims, all for the sake of pretending a man can be a woman. — Ed]