Private messages revealed in trial after alleged victim reports ‘secret’ left him feeling misled
A young woman has gone on trial accused of failing to disclose a personal detail during an intimate encounter, after a man claimed he would not have consented had he known.
Ciara Watkin, 21, from Thornaby, Teesside, is facing three charges relating to alleged sexual activity with a man she met on Snapchat. The court heard they began messaging through the app, eventually arranging to meet at her home, where the alleged incident took place.
Messages exchanged before and after encounter
Prosecutors told the jury that Watkin and the man had consensual contact on the night in question, but that she allegedly avoided any physical contact that would have revealed she was transgender. According to the court, Watkin told the man she was on her period when he tried to reciprocate any intimacy.
It was only later, in a message exchange presented to the jury, that Watkin revealed the truth about her gender identity. She reportedly told him she had a “massive secret” before disclosing: “I’m trans. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” The man responded with visible shock in the messages, replying: “WTF. So you have a…?” followed by “I feel ill,” the court heard.
He then contacted police, stating he had felt deceived and distressed by what he described as a lack of transparency.
Prosecution: ‘He would not have agreed’
Prosecutor Paul Reid told the jury that Watkin had not disclosed a key fact about herself before engaging in sexual activity. “The defendant had concealed from the man that she had male genitalia during their brief relationship,” he said.
The man later told police that, had he known Watkin was transgender, he would not have gone ahead. “I don’t swing that way,” he said in a statement read to the court.
The court also heard that Watkin’s Snapchat profile showed a female cartoon avatar and that there had been no discussion about gender identity prior to their meeting.
Defendant’s admission to police
During police interviews, Watkin confirmed that sexual activity had taken place but said she hadn’t disclosed her gender identity before it happened. According to the prosecution, she told officers: “Me and him had sex without me telling him I was a boy. When I let him know I was a different gender, he didn’t like it.”
She denies all charges against her, which include two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
Legal questions around consent and gender disclosure
The case has prompted wider public discussion around consent and disclosure in intimate relationships. The jury has been tasked with deciding whether the man was misled to the point where his consent was compromised, and if Watkin’s actions meet the legal threshold for sexual assault.
Watkin remains on trial and continues to maintain her innocence.