Dominic Mark Carter

A biological male, originally named Dominic Mark Carter and now identifying as Sophie Louise Carter, appeared at Southampton Crown Court for sentencing on charges related to child sexual abuse material. Carter, dressed in a pink shirt, pink shorts, and pink nail polish, had admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children stemming from an incident in April 2021. Upon arrest, Carter resisted police efforts to seize two mobile phones containing evidence of the indecent material.

The court heard that Carter had identified as male at the time of arrest but now presented as a woman. In addition to the current offences, Carter had five prior convictions for six past offences. Judge Nicholas Rowland addressed Carter directly, stating, "The reason that children around the world are subject to abuse and it is filmed is because people seek gratification. People like you get gratification from looking at those images." This sentencing occurred amid a pattern of similar cases involving gender identity changes during prosecution.

Carter received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, avoiding immediate custody. The sentence included a requirement to complete 60 hours of rehabilitation activity and 120 hours of unpaid work. Furthermore, Carter must register on the sex offenders list and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years. The case was reported by CARE on 31 August 2023, highlighting broader discussions on gender recognition and its implications in the justice system.

This incident follows other high-profile cases, such as that of Tanya Howes in July, where a trans individual convicted of possessing offensive pornographic material received a suspended 12-month jail term after delays related to housing decisions. Similarly, Isla Bryson's case, involving rape convictions and a gender transition during trial, led to public outcry and debates over prison placements. These events coincided with legislative efforts like the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which aimed to simplify legal gender changes but faced opposition. The UK Government has rejected self-ID systems, a stance recently reaffirmed by the Labour Party.