Sussex Police have declared that it is “irrelevant” that a convicted child sex abuser is a biological man who identifies as trans, warning people that they do not tolerate “hateful comments” about his gender identity.
On Monday, Sussex Police posted a press release, noting that Sally Ann Dixon, 58, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this month, after being convicted of 30 indecent assaults against five girls and two boys, aged between six and 15, with the offences dating back to between 1989 and 1996.
However, at the time, Dixon was John Stephen Dixon. According to Sussex Police, Dixon transitioned in 2004, and were legally male at the time of the abuse. Of course, having transitioned, the Sussex Police ran with a headline of “woman convicted of historic offences against children in Sussex.”
This headline angered a number of people online, with one user arguing that this was “a man committing sexual offences against children,” and calling for the Sussex Police Commissioner, Katy Bourne, who was elected as a Conservative, to “get your force in order.”
In response, Sussex Police declared that they “do not tolerate any hateful comments towards their gender identity regardless of crimes committed,” and declared that the discussion of Dixon’s sex was “irrelevant to the crime that has been committed and investigated.”
https://twitter.com/sussex_police/status/1574706789492350978
Twitter user Weatherwax6655 then proceeded to ask Sussex Police if declaring that Dixon is a man, a gender critical view that is “protected in law,” is a “crime” or not.
Sussex Police proceeded to link their page on hate crimes, but then explicitly confirmed that if people have gender critical views, they are free to express them “on other platforms or your own page, not targeted at an individual.”
https://twitter.com/sussex_police/status/1574708767287115780
Unsurprisingly, the tweets from Sussex Police declaring that it was irrelevant that Dixon is trans saw an immediate backlash among prominent conservative commentators. Julia Hartley-Brewer, said that Dixon was in fact a man, and that the police should “feel free to charge” her with a hate crime, as she was “happy to go to court” and argue her case.
This is a man. Feel free to charge me with a hate crime @sussex_police. I'll be happy to go to court and argue my case. https://t.co/c41K4KxAYl
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) September 27, 2022
This monster has literally committed sexual offences against CHILDREN and ensuring their “gender identity” is protected is the hill Sussex police want to die on. ???? https://t.co/zRhf8vJgec
— Emily Hewertson ???????? (@emilyhewertson) September 27, 2022
A man committed a rape & when arrested had transitioned to a woman.
"This is irrelevant to the crime" say Sussex Police.
I think the fact he has a penis was rather critical. https://t.co/HJie5omVjr
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) September 27, 2022
The ‘Gender identity’ of an offender is irrelevant to the crime of sexual offending but his sex is not. It is not ‘hateful’ to be clear that the sex of this sex offender is male. https://t.co/2RdqiF6Hp9
— FairPlayForWomen (@fairplaywomen) September 27, 2022
This is such a weird, low-simmer sort of menacing, to have the cops tweeting at you to dictate what you are allowed to say about someone's sex. JFC am I grateful for the First Amendment. pic.twitter.com/miAuAYJHY3
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) September 27, 2022
Conservative journalist Poppy Coburn highlighted that it was a Conservative government who created the College of Policing, which “expressly trains police officers to be inclusive of transgender ideology.”
As Valiant News reported in July, the College of Policing was forced to create new guidance among policing legitimate debate online, after the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Harry Miller, a former police officer who had a non-crime hate incident recorded against him for retweeting an allegedly “transphobic” limerick.
@KatyBourne is a Conservative politician and the Sussex police commissioner. Will she do anything about this disgusting response?
— Poppy Coburn (@kafkaswife) September 27, 2022
Sussex PCC Katy Bourne has been pictured celebrating LGBT Pride in Brighton in August this year, which was also attended by Sussex Police, dressed up in a rainbow luau, complete with rainbow face paint.
PCC @KatyBourne joins @sussex_police at @PrideBrighton. Catch us in the procession and say hello! ???????? #Pride #Pride2022 #BRIGHTONPRIDE2022 pic.twitter.com/SabF9pf5sM
— SussexPCC (@SussexPCC) August 6, 2022
The overwhelming support for @sussex_police today at Brighton Pride was fantastic. Lots of great conversations and engagement, and we were joined by our Chief Constable @CCJoShiner and PCC Katie Bourne @SussexPCC pic.twitter.com/vbHcG6nBz4
— SusPol Trans Lead (@SusPolTransLead) August 6, 2022
This news and commentary by Jack Hadfield originally appeared on Valiant News.
