Shock as woman is sent to male prison to serve her sentence

Tara Hudson, 26, has lived as a female all of her adult life and undergone six years of gender reconstruction surgery.

  A transgender woman who was born a man has been sent to an all male prison sparking fears for her safety.

Tara Hudson, 26, has lived as a female all of her adult life and undergone six years of gender reconstruction surgery.

The make-up artist was jailed for 12 weeks after admitting an assault during an incident in a bar last Christmas.

But magistrates ruled Tara should serve her sentence inside a Category-B male prison because her passport says she is still a man.

Her mum condemned the move saying even doctors have confirmed she is now a woman .

Tara’s mum Jackie Brooklyn has written to the prison governor as she fears her daughter will be targeted by the male prisoners.

She said: “There’s nothing male about her, nobody would know the difference. She looks like a woman. She’s gorgeous.

“We think it’s totally outrageous. I don’t think she will cope well at all.

“I just feel the men are going to go after her. It’s going to be humiliating.

“I just want to get my daughter into a safe, female environment where she belongs and will continue to fight the decision.”

Tara, who was born Aaron, admitted assault after an incident at a bar on Boxing Day 2014.

She changed her plea to guilty in September and her mum was expecting her to be put on an electronic tag and made to undergo an alcohol awareness course.

At worst she thought she would be sent to an all-women prison by the magistrates in Bath, Somerset.

But instead she was ordered to serve her time at HMP Bristol - a Cat-B prison holding around 600 young adult and adult men.

Last year prison inspectors reported that levels of violence had “risen sharply” in the jail and said not “enough was being done to protect some vulnerable prisoners”.

The report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons said incidents of violence “were now considerably higher than in similar prisons”.

Jackie revealed that Tara, who has 34EE breasts, is on a hormone replacement course and is due to undergo more surgery in the future.

She added: “She’s been through a hard time and this could set her right back.

“I don’t think the magistrates have taken that into consideration.

“I fear that it is a potentially dangerous situation for her to be in and feel strongly that she would be far safer in a female environment.

“While I understand it is a complex issue, the treatment of transgender individuals by the British judicial system is one that clearly requires greater attention and thought.

“The primary focus should be the safety and wellbeing of those involved.”