Trans-Identified Male Found Guilty of Rape In Guernsey, Defense Argued Victim Was “Transphobic”

By Edward Era Barbacena
Source: Reduxx

A 19-year-old trans-identified male broke down in tears after a Guernsey Royal Court jury unanimously found him guilty of rape on July 28. Despite the serious crime, Freddie Christian Trenchard, also known as Alyssa Christine Trenchard, was released on bail pending sentencing.

Trenchard, who was born male but identifies as a “trans femme,” was first reported to police in February of last year, though the crime occurred in the summer of 2021.

The assault is said to have been committed after Trenchard invited the victim to his home in the small island community.

Despite testimony from the victim in which she details crying throughout the attack and screaming “no,” Trenchard’s defense argued that no intercourse occurred and even accused the victim of being motivated by transphobia.

Trenchard was released into the community until sentencing, which will take place at a yet-unspecified date later this year.

A representative for Guernsey Women’s Rights Network (WRN) who attended the court proceedings told Reduxx that the sexual attack was described by legal professionals as having been committed by a “transgender female” with “his penis.”

Jane Roper explained how Trenchard was referred to with feminine pronouns and the honorific term “miss,” even on occasions where the crime was being referenced. Roper said it was “bizarre” to hear statements such as, “Miss Trenchard then penetrated [the complainant] with her penis,” and, “Miss Trenchard then ejaculated on [the complainant’s] back.”

“Trenchard hasn’t so much as legally changed his name – let alone undergone any surgery,” Roper said. Initially the presiding judge had described Trenchard as a “transgender male,” but would later apologize to the rapist for doing so.

“The judge was sent a message asking the defendant what he would like to be described as, and then actually apologized to him and told the court that Trenchard would like to be described as a ‘transgender female’. In her opening statements the judge said the alleged crime occurred ‘when the defendant was biologically male,'” she added.

“It was a truly bizarre experience to witness the court jumping through hoops for this man. As a woman, that felt really shocking, especially as we had all sat through the complainant’s harrowing oral evidence detailing the rape,” Roper remarked.

Reduxx reached out to Guernsey Police, who confirmed Trenchard was recorded as a “woman” at the time of his arrest, in accordance with his gender identity.

With a population of just 64,000 people and a median age of 40, Guernsey has an extremely low crime rate, and the rape would have constituted one of the more serious incidents on the Channel island.

While it has a strong economic and cultural connection to Britain, Guernsey is not in the United Kingdom and is considered effectively independent.

According to his social media, Trenchard began identifying as transgender and using the name Alyssa in April of 2020, just one year before the rape took place.

On Facebook, Trenchard has listed his gender as “female” and on his TikTok account, he describes himself as “trans femme.”

Trenchard has posted several videos on TikTok, using hashtags such as #trans and #transisbeautiful. In one of his most recent videos, Trenchard confesses to becoming sexually aroused when someone calls him “miss,” the same term he requested to be addressed by during the trial.