A man who identifies as a woman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting multiple young boys. In their statement on the sentence, Lancashire Police declined to use pronouns for Joanne Evans, while local media referred to him as “they/them.”
Evans, 40, was first arrested in 2020 after police became aware that he had been sexually preying on young boys in Swansea. The youngest victim was just 8 years old at the time he was sexually assaulted, and two additional victims who came forward were both under the age of 13.
Evans was charged with assault by penetration of a child and sexual assault by touching of a child, but was not remanded to custody. Earlier this month, he was expected in Burnley Crown Court but refused to appear, resulting in a jury finding him guilty in his absence.
On May 17, Evans was sentenced to a total of 17 years, with 16 years in prison and 1 year on community license.
In a statement on his sentencing, Detective Constable Hannah Brown of the East Child Protection Team said: “Evans is a manipulative individual who sexually assaulted the three young victims for sexual gratification … I want to praise the victims in this case who showed immense bravery, having to re-live their ordeal while giving evidence.”
She added: “I hope the outcome of this case will encourage other victims to come forward, knowing they will be believed, listened to, and that we will do everything in our power to put the perpetrator before the courts.”
In the statement, Lancashire Police did not use pronouns for Evans, but noted that he “uses different male and female names and identities.” The statement did not include what other names or identities Evans utilized.
In media coverage of the sentence, most outlets referred to Evans by gender neutral “they/them” pronouns.
In February of 2023, a new prison policy came into force in Britain stipulating that transgender inmates would no longer be housed in women’s prisons if they had male genitalia or had committed a sexual crime. The policy was later extended to include men who had committed any crimes classified as violent.
The policy had come into force after a heated debate broke out over the transfer of a repeat rapist who identified as transgender to a women’s prison.
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