A transwoman who told two high-profile gender critical campaigners she would rip their eyes out and kill them has been spared jail.
Layla Le Fey, 44, sent four violent and threatening tweets to Helen Joyce and Kellie Jay Keen last year.
In March, she told Joyce: “God how I would love to just rip your eyes out, chop your hands off, and carve your face up really badly.”
She also tweeted to Keen, also known as Posie Parker: “Hello Posie Parker, I’m a trans woman and I’m not ashemaed to admit I’d be happy to physically kick the s**t out of you pull your eyes out and break your spine I live in Portslade
The same day she tweeted: “I’d love to see a misgynist psychopatch brutally and horifically kills Kelly Jay Minshall I’d be happy to do it.”
And in June, she tweeted: “Does anyone remember when someone published Kellie Jay Keen’s address I’d be interested in setting fire to her house with her in it.”
Sorry that you & @HJoyceGender receive these despicable threats.
Are the police going to act & investigate? @CollegeofPolice @SuellaBraverman @sussex_police @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/Yf5J29topO
— SafeguardWomen&Girls💚🤍💜 (@safeguardwomen) June 7, 2023
In statements read out to the court, both women said they were used to receiving abuse on social media, but when they discovered Le Fey’s violent past, it made them take the threats seriously.
Le Fey, of George Williams Mews, Portslade, was convicted in 2020 of threatening a cashier at Budgens in Queens Road, Brighton, with a claw hammer.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Dr Joyce said: “I’m used to robust and unpleasant debate online. I never get into back and forths and accept that other people have the right to criticise what I say.
“But seeing the things they were expressing, describing to me how much he would enjoy cutting me, is something else altogether.”
Le Fey’s tweet to her was made in reply to her pinned tweet from 2022 announcing the publication of her book Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality.
Dr Joyce said that since seeing the tweet, she had been more careful about accepting speaking engagements and how she made her way to and from public events.
Mrs Keen’s statement said: “A violent male committed a crime – no matter how I’m affected, his punishment should be based on his words and his intentions.
“This has had a far greater impact on my husband and family. I’m battle weary and anticipate very little justice as so many men have sought to silence me.”
She said she wanted the court to record that the offences had been committed by a man.
Prosecuting, David Holman requested retraining orders preventing Le Fey from contacting either women, posting about them on social media or attending any talks where Dr Joyce is present.
After hearing Mr Holman read out the victim impact statements, Le Fey told her solicitor, Cathy Walker: “He’s referring to me as a man – that’s hate speech.”
Defending, Ms Walker said: “Miss Le Fey found the comments made by these particular people to be incredibly and provocatively violent against transwomen and that as a result of that there’s considerable violence against transwomen on a daily basis.
“That’s something that Miss Le Fey experiences – she’s rebuked, she had names called to her from cars almost on a daily basis.
“One of the previous articles posted by Kellie Jay Keen said armed men should be put in women’s toilets to shoot transwomen.
“It appeared to her women’s campaigners and other parties are able to make comments online against transwomen, inciting violence and hatred and trying to prevent transwomen’s rights, and that was where that frustration spilled over into making those comments.
“They’re not acceptable of course. She now understands she cannot make threats online, that they may perceive to be genuine threats and that’s what they say they thought those comments were.”
Chair of the bench Ian Goodwin said: “All of these offences are very serious because the victims have taken the comments and threats to be genuine and as a result they have altered their lifestyle to protect themselves and their families.”
Le Fey was given two 10 week prison sentences, to run consecutively but each suspended for 18 months, for two of the public communications offences she was charged for.
She was also given ten weeks for each other other two offences, to run consecutively to the other two, and also suspended for 18 months.
She was also ordered to pay costs of £85, a victim surcharge of £154 and to carry out 25 rehabilitation activity days.
Mr Goodwin granted the restraining orders for a period of 18 months.
That Trans get out of Jail free card working a treat again I see.
And of course if anyone other than a “trans woman” issued these horrific violent misogynist threats against named women, they certainly would be doing jail time rather than a pathetic suspended sentence. Le Fey in fact proves Joyce’s and Posie Parker ‘s point beautifully: these men who identify as women should be nowhere near women or their single sex spaces!
Well no. As the article buries quite well, part of the response here was to tweets by Keen advocating the murder of trans women.
Because one person behaves in a reprehensible way, this doesn’t justify your scapegoating of all other trans women or your attempt to promote all trans women as potential perpetrators.
That is just vile bigotry.
brightonandhovenews.org
Can you link to Kelly-Jay Keen’s tweet where she advocated the murder of trans women?
It is clearly reported in the article.
For some reason, I can’t reply directly to ‘Conan the Fruitarian’ who says ‘it is clearly reported in the article’. What was reported in the article was a falsehood from the defendant and repeated by the defendant’s counsel. KJK has NEVER advocated the murder of anyone.
She once suggested that armed men should demand access to women’s public toilets – not to shoot anyone but to draw a reaction from those who think it’s OK for “transwomen” to access women’s public toilets. Her (very clumsily made) point was that NO men, whether equipped with guns or just their penises should be in women’s toilets. She should have predicted that her words would be twisted and used against her because that is that trans activists invariable do to anyone brave enough to oppose their ideology.
LOL! Go on, link to Kelly-Jay Keen’s tweet where she advocated the murder of transwomen.
Let’s see the actual written proof of ‘One of the previous articles posted by Kellie Jay Keen said armed men should be put in women’s toilets to shoot transwomen.”
Do you have any evidence of these supposed remarks? I for one don’t believe it.
That’s funny
You believe everything written in the article except the sentences which go against your prejudices.
That’s a YOU problem. Bigot.
Le Fey is a nasty, misogynist violent male. Stop insulting all girls and women by referring to him as ‘she’.
Why “this sort”. You are making assumptions about many people based on the reported activities of one person. This comes across as quite bigoted tbh.
Please report the facts. It’s a man
Please clarify: are you saying that Trans Women as a whole are counter factual, or are you suggesting that trans identity is contingent on good behaviour which this person has forfeited.
(Both terrible positions btw, but am actually curious)
What a well behaved individual and obviously used to reasoned debate – I don’t like your view so I am going to maim or kill you, what a charmer. Should have gone to jail where they may have learnt a lesson. Too many individuals in this country don’t like opinions and then either threaten or commit violence. It’s OK if someone has a different opinion too yourself!
yeah that is kinda crazy. posie parker et al say some very chilling things about how trans people need to be exterminated (which should honestly be investigated) but that kind of response is unhinged in a different way.
I vouch for trans people but it doesn’t matter who you are, if you make threats like that you definitely deserve a visit. she’s lucky to get a few suspended sentences for that.
Please provide a link to where “posie parker [said] some very chilling things about how trans people need to be exterminated”. Thanks.
If you have identified as a woman why call yourself a “transwoman” like you are something different a third sex or whatever. Basically this is a dodgy bloke.
Where has Posie (or any others) said that? I’d love to read it
Saves working out which type of prison to send to I suppose
The man who attacked the lady outside Tesco in portslade last month lives at the same place, George William mews.
Same address as the one who attacked a woman outside Tesco in portslade,
Ugly on the inside as well as out. Really needs locking up for her own safety
So individuals can do whatever they want and get away with it providing they identify as ‘trans’?
A telling message to send out about the state of British justice these days.
Yes, those are the remarks of a well adjusted person. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequence.
I wonder how much it costs the council to house Le Fey in George William Mews – a small, private residence offering supported housing and life skills training run by the YMCA. I bet it’s a lot!!!
The reason he didn’t get jailed is that he would want to go to a female prison, what a predicament the judge was in to be fair, this whole trans thing is pure and utter bull,he should have been sent down and to a male prison, pluck his eyebrows on the way,shave his legs then he’ll still be a he.
Hey, man! Take a walk on the wild side!
I hope he’s ashamed with himself…..
Ghastly person so uncouth
This violent male is referred to 13 times as “she” or “her” by Jo Wadsworth in this article. Many women, like me, find this deferential use of wrong-sex pronouns to validate trans-identifying male delusions both insulting and disturbing. It misleadingly brands male pattern violence against females as committed by females. And it’s a female journalist doing the misleading.
She is actually a nice person, just as mad as we all are, leave her alone.