A convicted transgender murderer now identifies as a baby, and demanding prison staff treat them as such, including holding their hand and providing diapers.
Sophie Eastwood, 36, born as Daniel was jailed in 2004 for a dangerous driving offence. After spending four years in jail, and just a month out from his then release, he strangled fellow inmate Paul Algie, and was convicted for murder. Prison staff labelled Eastwood as “Hannibal Lecter Jnr” because of his violent behaviour.
Eastwood began identifying as a woman in 2018, and has been living as one in prison since then. Now, the convicted transgender murderer has told prison guards that they identify as a baby.
The prisoner is allegedly demanding to not only wear diapers and eat their meals blended like baby food, but also for guards to hold their hand when outside of cells. According to the Daily Record, these demands being treated “seriously,” with staff having already provided Eastwood with a pacifier.
A source told the Scottish paper that Eastwood is “difficult and manipulative,” and that prisoners transitioning gender is becoming “more common in jails these days,” but that unsurprisingly “the Scottish Prison Service has no protocol in place for dealing with prisoners who decide they are babies.”
"Prison bosses are taking Sophie Eastwood's requests seriously and have already supplied her with a dummy."
I have many unanswered questions…..https://t.co/4OsHhT45BK— Lorraine King (@lorrainemking) April 9, 2022
Describing Eastwood as a “complex person,” the source said it was “difficult” to know if this was “attention seeking” or something more. “Modern prisons are very tuned in to human rights and the legal implications they throw up, so it’s being given proper consideration.”
Despite being 36-years-old, Eastwood is being held in Polmont Prison, a Young Offender’s Institution, part of a far more relaxed prison system, meant for people under 18, but can include prisoners up to 21-years-old.
It is unclear why a convicted murderer well over the age to be part of the adult prison population would be held in such a facility. News coverage from the Daily Record and the Mirror regarding Eastwood does not mention the status of HMYOI Polmont.
Eastwood had previously claimed to the Daily Record that the only reason they hadn’t been released was because the prison system was transphobic and bigoted:
“In January 2020, I met all the standard criteria to pass to less secure conditions, except being biologically female. The prison service wanted me to have a psychological assessment as I hadn’t had one since starting to live as female. After that, I was told by a manager that I would have passed the assessment had I still been living as a man. I felt this was sexist and transphobic. The SPS was implying that as a man I didn’t represent a risk to the public but as a woman I did. I don’t think there’s any evidence to support that.”
