Trans woman cleared of ‘sleepwalking’ murder attempt
A trans police worker – who battered her brother over the head with an iron bar – has been cleared of attempted murder.
The Met worker was released after a jury accepted Helen Doe’s “sleepwalking” defence.
Doe – who has been living as a woman since 2012 – told police she awoke in the early hours in the home she shared with brother Kenneth, 64, and feeling an “overwhelming hatred” for him, reports The Evening Standard.
He suffered three wounds to his skull from the 18-inch metal bar as he lay in bed.
“The defence will point to the conclusion Miss Doe was sleepwalking when she attacked her brother and that sleepwalking and violence was due to the drugs she was taking,” said prosecutor Paul Cavin.
“Fortunately he did not die or suffer long-term injury… however it is the prosecution case that in striking him several times with an iron bar she intended to kill him.
“The prosecution say the evidence shows she intended that death would result, that she wished to kill him.”
Doe called the emergency services after the attack, telling the operator: “I’ve had an accident. I think I’ve killed my brother.
“I’ve hit him with an iron bar. Just now, I’ve been building up to it.”
When police arrived she confessed: “It’s me. I did it, he’s upstairs.”
Mr Cavin told the jury Doe had confessed to officers: “I wanted to do it. I wanted to kill him. Can I have a cuddle?”
He added: “She said her friendship with her brother was not a good one and woke in the early hours with an overwhelming hatred of her brother and she makes reference to muffled voices in her head.
She describes a history of depression for which she was taking prescribed medication. She also said she was in the process of changing gender to that of a female and was having hormone therapy.”
However, Doe – who is employed by the Metropolitan Police Uniform Services and is a vocal campaigner for gender diversity – was found not guilty yesterday at Kingston crown court of attempted murder on July 5 last year.
The leader of Croydon’s Trans Group, claimed that she was suffering “non-insane automatism” — involuntary movements she was not responsible for — with a number medical experts backing her up.
The victim, Mr Doe, said: “I had an argument with her earlier and I woke up and she was hitting me with an iron bar… I don’t like her friends.”
