>
The transgender killer who strangled her cellmate with shoelaces and now identifies as a baby says she fears she might not survive if transferred to a men’s prison
- Transgender prisoner Sophie Eastwood, 38, is afraid of a men’s prison
- The murderer, who identifies herself as a baby, affirms that she would be at risk of sexual violence
A transgender inmate serving a life sentence for murder says she fears she might not survive if she is transferred to a men’s prison.
Daniel Eastwood was incarcerated at Dumfries Young Offenders Institution for dangerous driving at age 18 and was one month from the end of his sentence when he strangled 22-year-old cellmate Paul Algie dies with shoelaces in 2004.
Eastwood, now 38 and identifying as a woman named Sophie, began transitioning from male to female while in prison and since 2017 has been incarcerated at Cornton Vale, Scotland’s only women’s prison.
The prison had become the center of a dispute over transgender inmates after Isla Bryson, who was convicted of raping two women as a man named Adam Graham, was initially housed there.
Now Eastwood, who has claimed that she identifies as a baby, has revealed that she is concerned that she “would not survive” in a men’s prison if she were transferred.
Sophie Eastwood, 38, (pictured as Daniel Eastwood) ‘transitioned’ to a woman in 2017 and now identifies as a baby
She is currently incarcerated at Cornton Vale Prison for Women in Scotland.
Talking with him Daily entryEastwood described how before being transferred to Cornton Vale she was “threatened” by her male cellmates.
She said: ‘The main threat was that I would suffer serious sexual violence. It was a relief to be transferred to the women’s farm, where I felt safe and gained the trust of my fellow prisoners.
“I think the staff of the Scottish Prison Service handle trans inmates well, but it would be impossible for me to feel safe in a men’s prison.
‘I have no history of gender violence. But the recent protest has led to the SPS having to check every transgender person in custody.
“I think I’m in the right place and I don’t think I can survive in the male state.”
The debate surrounding trans prisoners in women’s prisons has been fueled by the Scottish government’s decision and subsequent U-turn to place double rapist Isla Bryson in Cornton Vale.
Double rapist Isla Bryson (pictured), formerly known as Adam Graham, has been released from Cornton Vale Women’s Prison
Following public outcry, Bryson, called Adam Graham until 2020, was transferred to a male wing of a prison last month, however the Scottish Prison Service has since announced that they will conduct full case reviews of all trans prisoners under custody, something Sophie says makes her fear for her safety.
Before Bryson was removed from Cornton Vale, she and Eastwood shared the same premises; however, Eastwood has said that Bryson has “exploited the system” and made “genuine trans prisoners less safe”.
She said: “It’s really unfortunate because the public’s view of trans people in general has now been damaged, but not by the behavior of any trans person.”
Eastwood’s own conduct while incarcerated has been controversial.
After announcing that she was a baby last year, Eastwood demanded that guards hold her hand every time she left her cell and that prison wardens take her demands seriously.
A Scottish Prison Service source told the Record the prisoner had been “difficult and manipulative” over the years, which is why she is still behind bars after 17 years.
MailOnline has approached the Scottish Prison Service for more information.