Woman who posed as man jailed over assaults

A woman who impersonated a man to trick her female friend into sex in a “complex” and “bizarre” two-year deception has been jailed for eight years.

Newland wore a prosthetic penis and had sex with her female friend about 10 times and was only caught when the victim ripped off her blindfold.

But a jury found the complainant was telling the truth and convicted Newland in September of three counts of sexual assault.

And now she’s going to jail for eight years.

A court heard how she met the victim in a club in Chester and confided in each other that they were both attracted to women but weren’t yet out to friends and family.

‘The first time I agreed to meet this person and agreed to have sex with them, I thought it was a male I told my my friends I was engaged to a guy.

“He said the crime was so unusual he could depart from normal sentencing guidelines”, The Mirror reports.

Newland befriended her victim by posing as a man named Kye Fortune, a half-Filipino, half-Latino fellow student who was recovering from a brain tumour and did not want her to see his scars.

The 25-year-old woman reportedly deceived a fellow schoolmate into believing she was a man who went by the name ‘Kye Fortune’.

Newland, of Hooton Road, is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order with among the terms being she is not allowed to contact anyone online using a fake identity.

While the verdict may be justice for the victim, a few legal experts have questioned the impact the case could have on court cases involving transgender individuals.

“Every time I met up with Kye Fortune, I either had the mask on already or he would wait outside the door and I would put it on”.

“I would like to thank the victim for her bravery and co-operation throughout the investigation”.

“I knew better than anyone for people not to know…if she wanted to hide her sexuality I would allow her to do that”. He added he hoped the sentence will be reduced if and when it is appealed. She said: “Men seem to get much less for rape and even manslaughter cases get less”.

Newland also said that the complainant had persuaded her to buy a prosthetic penis online.

Mr Power said the offending was now two and a half years ago and there had been no repeat, with the view that the character of Kye was “no longer necessary”.

“This was a highly elaborate deception where Newland abused the trust that the victim had in her. She has been extremely upset by what has happened and there is no doubt that there will be a lasting psychological impact on her. I would like to thank the victim for her bravery and co-operation throughout the investigation”.