ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News website, article about sentencing of β€˜predatory woman’, 8 December 2023

Summary of complaint

We’ve received complaints from readers unhappy about our description of one of the defendants in a court case as a woman in our article 'Predatory' woman who incited man to abuse child, 4, jailed.


Our response

We reported on the sentencing at Manchester Crown Court of 31-year-old Naomi O’Brien for five offences connected to child sex abuse. ΜύShe was described by a police detective inspector as a β€˜predatory woman’ and we reported this. Μύ

Some readers objected to us describing her as a woman, maintaining she was transgender and had previously been a man. ΜύΜύ

Our reporting was based on the court proceedings and on a press release issued by Greater Manchester Police in which they describe Naomi O’Brien as a female. They told us that β€œshe identifies as a woman”. They used female pronouns in their press release and we reported accordingly. Μύ

We are aware of the sensitivities around use of pronouns however ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News editorial practice is to refer to trans people as they refer to themselves. In our reporting we use the term and the pronoun used by the person in question, as we did here.