Transgender woman, 24, who raped friend weeks after being released from prison is jailed for 9 years
A transpredator was sentenced today to nine years in prison for raping a ‘vulnerable’ friend with ‘her penis’ – just weeks after being released from prison for child offenses.
Lexi-Rose Crawford, 24, began identifying as a woman after being released on license from a four-year prison sentence imposed for having sex with an underage girl she met online.
A jury heard how she assaulted the latest victim in her own home after bringing a PlayStation to the address so they could play computer games.
The defendant, who was dubbed ‘Miss’ at her trial in March, was found guilty of rape and assault and returned to Bristol Crown Court today for sentencing.
Judge Michael Longman described her offenses as “particularly shocking.”
Crawford’s conviction followed the conviction of Scottish trans rapist Isla Bryson, who was jailed for eight years in February for assaulting two vulnerable female victims in their own home while living as men.
Bryson, 31, began transitioning from male to female after being charged with the rapes, and was initially held in a women’s prison after being found guilty. She is now serving her sentence in HMP Edinburgh, a men’s prison.
Pervert Lexi-Rose Crawford, 24, has been imprisoned for nine years after her latest assault on her “extremely vulnerable” victim. Photographed outside court today
She is expected to serve her term in a men’s prison under new government guidelines
At today’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors outlined the assault and repeatedly referred to “her penis” used to carry out the rape at the victim’s home in April 2019
The judge told Crawford, “Given your previous criminal record, these convictions are particularly serious, given that the victim was your girlfriend and a friend you knew was vulnerable herself.”
“You were a guest in her house then. That is also very shocking and the feeling of betrayal is completely understandable.’
In a personal impact statement read to the court, the victim said the attack left her so traumatized that she had to leave her home and made repeated suicide attempts.
She added: “Before that day I had some mental health issues, like PTSD, but I believe I was making progress. What Lexi did that day brought me back to square one.
“I had flashbacks and nightmares about what happened. I couldn’t live there anymore and became homeless.’
She added, “Lexi should have been my girlfriend and I feel betrayed by her.”
Crawford’s conviction followed the conviction of Scottish trans rapist Isla Bryson (pictured), who was jailed for eight years in February for assaulting two vulnerable female victims in their own homes while living as men.
Bryson, 31, began transitioning from male (pictured) to female after being charged with the rapes, and was initially held in a women’s prison after being found guilty. She is now serving her sentence in HMP Edinburgh, a men’s prison
District Attorney Gregory Gordon told the court that Crawford, a former volunteer guitar technician, “now identifies as female” and was “good friends” with the victim. He said she contacted the woman via Facebook to go to her address.
He added: “She sat down on the couch and kissed the victim who said ‘no stop’ because she wasn’t her friend.”
The prosecution said the defendant then pulled the victim to the ground and “didn’t listen to the victim’s protests to stop.”
He added: ‘She started touching the victim sexually – (the victim) pulled the defendant’s hands away. She said ‘stop, I don’t want this’ and made it abundantly clear.
“She was repeatedly told to stop, but wouldn’t listen.”
The rape charge specified that ‘her penis’ was used during the rape on the formal charge used in court, and Mr Gordon repeatedly referred to ‘her penis’ being used to carry out the rape at the hearing of this morning.
At her trial, Crawford had claimed to have blackouts and had no recollection of the attack, but this was dismissed by prosecutors as a “convenient excuse.”
The defendant was convicted by a jury after barely two hours of deliberation.
Judge Longman told her that whether she remembered the attack or not, it was “obvious” that she had ignored the victim’s wishes and “moved on no matter what.”
Crawford, a biological male formerly known as Dominic Risden, began identifying as a female and changed her name after being released from a four-year prison sentence for child offenses
But within weeks of her release in January 2019 and the start of using feminine pronouns, Bristol Crown Court learned she had raped a vulnerable friend after she went to her flat to play computer games.
Judge Longman said he balanced aggravating and mitigating factors, including Crawford who is still licensed, and said the punishment of the prior offenses were “forceful and serious” aggravating factors.
He sentenced Crawford, of Bristol, to nine years for the rape charge and six and a half years for the simultaneous assault.
Charley Pattison, on defense, said mitigating factors were that Crawford was only 20 at the time of the attack.
She said, “It’s hard for her to express remorse. There’s been an element of blocking things out and not wanting to think about what happened – but there’s an element of remorse about what happened.
“She accepts the jury’s verdict, but wants the jury to take into account her age and what she’s been through.”
Crawford will remain on the license once she is released after no later than two-thirds of her sentence and will be on the sex offenders register ‘indefinitely’. A restraining order has also been issued.
Under new guidelines issued earlier this year by the Justice Department, transgender women with male genitalia or who have been convicted of sex crimes will automatically be sent to a men’s prison unless there are exceptional circumstances.